


A Family of Two

by MagentasNightmare



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Andrea has a troubled past!, Angst, Awkward pre-teen moments for Merle to navigate. lol, DON'T LIKE - DON'T READ (I'm not changing what I write for anyone:), Daryl and Carol - Freeform, F/M, I like Andrea - she was Merle's Sugartits, Merle and Andrea, Merle and Andrea SMUT, Merle and a 12 yo daughter, Merle is a single father, Merle is a widower, Poor Merle has been single for 7 years since his wife died:(, Romance, Smut, Yep! Andrea!!!!, ge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:20:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 35,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagentasNightmare/pseuds/MagentasNightmare
Summary: Merle is a single father after losing his wife. He stays alone for a long time before meeting the woman who changes everything, but as it turns out she has some baggage of her own. How far will Merle go for love?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KrissyG927](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrissyG927/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merle and Andrea have some morning fun;) & Simone experiments with her first crush:) Love is in the air and all is well:)  
> Thanks for reading. Teagan xoxo

_**A Family of Two – Chapter 1** _

_**Prelude** _

Merle looked through his closet and sighed; it had been ages since he had to do this. Choosing clothes for a date was not part of his life anymore; his life was about childcare and trying his best to play both mom and dad for his little girl.

"You should wear your red shirt and your leather jacket."

"Yeah?"

"You look handsome in that."

"Thanks, honey."

The ten-year-old sitting on his bed was his greatest supporter and always would be. It was for her that he was doing this in the first place.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Just dinner and a movie."

Merle took the red shirt Simone bought him for his birthday off a hanger and pulled it over his head.

"Looks good, Daddy. She's gonna like you."

"I hope so."

"What's not to like?" she giggled.

"You're a little biased, but thanks."

"Biased?" she asked.

"You think she'll like me cause I'm your dad and you like me."

"She'll like you cause you're nice and funny."

"I love you."

"I love you mostest."

_**/** _

Daryl, Carol, and Sophia arrived to babysit, but a big part of him just wanted to stay home. He'd been on his own since Simone was five years old and he was comfortable, perhaps a little lonely for adult companionship...but comfortable. Simone was ten years old now, though, and he began to realize that soon she was going to want a woman in the house to talk to, he was trying to give her that. Merle didn't know how to help her in regards to boys, puberty stuff or anything like that but he'd always try his best.

The woman he was taking out was a colleague of Carol's at the DMV, and he didn't really know anything about her. Carol said she was new to the office and seemed friendly enough, so he agreed to a blind date despite thinking it was a terrible idea.

"Have a good time and don't hurry back," Daryl smiled.

"Yeah right," Merle chuckled. "You think this is actually gonna go anywhere?"

"Well, you have such a great attitude about it. What could go wrong?" Daryl scoffed.

"I just don't know this woman, all I saw was a picture."

"It'll be fine, just relax. You need to get out there, man, it's been five years," Daryl reminded him.

"I've been kinda busy raising a little girl all alone, and it's a little tricky to meet women at the playground," Merle laughed.

"It might help if you'd take off your wedding ring," Daryl sighed.

"Damn it!" Merle groaned, twisting it off his finger to put it away before he picked up his date.

Simone was downstairs watching a movie with her Aunt Carol and cousin Sophia as Merle gathered up his keys and wallet to go.

"This might be the one, Merle. Try to have a little faith."

"I'm trying. Simone's ten already, and I haven't found anyone to be her mother yet...I'm starting to lose hope."

"Don't go into this looking for a mother for your daughter. Look for a partner for yourself first and then see if it will work with Simone."

"Daryl-"

"Just go."

/

Merle pulled up outside Nancy's apartment and checked the address again to be sure it was the right place. He hesitated and crunched a breath mint as he stared at the door for a while. Nothing felt right without Leah, and he still didn't want anyone else but her.

He made himself get out of the truck, and when he buzzed her apartment, she came right down and looked rushed.

"Hi."

"Hey, Nancy. How you doing?" he fumbled.

"Just fine, and yourself?"

"I'm good. Did you wanna go for dinner first?"

"Sure."

It was agony; he had no idea how to get her to smile. She wasn't a woman that smiled easily like Leah. He walked her to his work truck and opened the door for her. Nancy was only 5 foot 4, so she had to climb up into the truck, and she looked annoyed by it.

"Sorry, honey, all I got is my work truck."

He could tell from her face that she didn't enjoy being called honey and he knew it wasn't going to work right there. He called all women 'honey', he always had, it would be hard to change that.

It became obvious over the course of the evening that Nancy didn't like anything that came naturally to him and he just wanted to go home to hang out with Simone. He wanted to be comfortable again.

She said a man holding doors was archaic, and she insisted on paying for her own dinner; he didn't know which way was up. Merle never had a woman pay for her own food or a movie before; he liked to pay.

"I do have my own money, you know?"

"I know...it's just that this was set up by my sister-in-law so I just figured I should pay. I haven't been out with anyone in a long time, so I didn't know this kind of thing changed. Are you upset?"

"I'm not upset; I just like to pay for myself."

"I respect that, hon-" he paused, catching himself calling her honey again. "See? I caught it," he laughed.

"Yep," she sighed.

He tried to put his arm around her in the darkened theater, but even in the dark he could see her roll her eyes and he wound up in the bathroom halfway through the movie staring at Leah's picture.

"I can't do this..." he whispered to the picture. "I don't even wanna do this...I still miss you too much."

/

Merle was home by 10 pm, and Daryl sighed, knowing how it went by the expression on his face.

"It's your first date in years...it's bound to be awkward as hell," Daryl insisted.

"Sorry, Merle," Carol shrugged.

"It's OK, Carol. She was alright, just not for me."

"What happened anyway?"

"She just didn't like me, everything I did annoyed her. I had no idea I wasn't supposed to pay or hold doors. Do men really not do that anymore?" he asked.

"I think she may be a little hardline about it," Carol shrugged.

"Fuck it; I'm just glad to be home. How was Simone?"

"Good, she and Sophia ate their weight in popcorn, and we watched that Barbie movie," Daryl laughed. "They passed out on the couch, so I carried them to her room an hour ago."

"Just leave Sophia here then, and I'll bring her home tomorrow," Merle insisted.

"Yeah?"

"Sure. It's Saturday tomorrow so the girls can play in the backyard, maybe I'll take them to the creek."

"Thanks, Merle."

"No problem."

/

Merle went to check on the girls before turning in, and they looked like little angels as usual. If he hadn't had Simone, he never would have kept going. Losing Leah had been the end of so much for him, but when he got home from the funeral, he still had this beautiful little person calling him Daddy and needing him for everything.

Merle took a shower and double checked that he had the ingredients for banana pancakes in the morning then collapsed on his bed. He would fill the next day with fun for the girls, and hopefully, Simone wouldn't be disappointed about his failure of a date. In all honesty, he had about given up on love. Leah wasn't coming back, and no other women saw him the way that she had...it felt hopeless.

**###############################**

**This story begins sad, but it's going somewhere nice I promise:)**

**Thanks for reading! Teagan xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A Family of Two - Chapter 2** _

**~ 2 years later**

"Dad...Dad?"

"Huh?"

"I need you to sign that permission slip."

Simone was racing around the house getting ready for school as he sat at the table with his second cup of coffee.

"What's up? You look like a zombie today," she laughed.

"Nothing. Gimme this thing to sign, honey. What's it for again?"

"Class camping trip!" she squealed.

"Jesus! I gotta let you sleep out in the woods away from home now? I don't like you getting older."

"I'll be all right, Dad."

Simone was getting bigger all the time, she wasn't a little girl anymore, and it scared him. He'd had to buy her a bra already and wondered when the hell girls started changing so young. She was beautiful, though, and looked more like her mother all the time. The sea green eyes, dark brown hair and the heart-shaped face; he couldn't help thinking of Leah daily.

"It says here you're leaving this weekend, that's so soon," he said, skimming over the words as he dug around in the junk drawer for a pen.

"Sophia's going too," she added in an apparent attempt to calm him down.

Sophia and Simone were in the same class and had been all through school, Sophia's friendship had been key to her working through her mother's death. They were as close as cousins could be, and he was glad she had Sophia in her life.

"I still don't like this, honey."

"I promise I'll be OK."

He knew he was overreacting, but she was all he had.

"Alright...I'm being stupid, huh?"

"It's OK, Dad...do we have any kid's Advil?"

"Why?"

"Just a sore throat."

"You comin' down with something? Come here."

Merle pulled her closer and grabbed a flashlight to look in her mouth.

"Say 'Ahhh.'"

"Dad, you're not a doctor."

"Yeah, but I can see if it's red or something. Do you need to stay home?"

"I don't think so...it's not that bad."

"But you need pain pills."

She relented and let him look at her throat, but he realized that the light wasn't very good.

"You're right; I don't really know what a throat is supposed to look like anyway."

He got her the chewable pills and insisted that she call him at work if she needed to come home.

"I will, no worries."

Merle drove her to school and went immediately to the lumberyard to get started. His workplace had been great with him since Leah passed away, they let him adjust his hours to take care of Simone as needed. He ran the forklift in the yard of the biggest building supplier in the state, and it was simple work, just moving things around the yard or loading trucks but it paid the bills. He even had some college money saved up for Simone between his income and Leah's life insurance.

He was halfway through his lunch break when he got a call from Carol, and she had news he hadn't seen coming so soon.

"Hey, Carol. What's up?"

"I just wanted to mention something about Simone cause I think you need to know, but it's a little delicate."

"Jesus! What is it?" he asked, jumping to conclusions at the drop of a hat.

"She was over yesterday playing with Sophia and...she started her period, Merle. I told her she should tell you about it, but since you didn't call me flipping out, I presume she didn't say anything."

"That's impossible! She only just turned 12."

"Sophia got hers months ago."

"What? I thought this was a 13-14-year-old thing."

"Nope. This is about the usual age."

Merle couldn't get his head around the way she was changing, and he still didn't have a mother figure for her.

"What am I supposed to do about this?"

"I took her to the pharmacy and got her what she needed but she was a little shaken, and I didn't want to have 'the talk' with her without your say so."

"The talk?"

"They haven't covered this stuff in school yet, and she seemed a little freaked out so maybe you could have a word with her about what's going on."

"Jesus, I don't even think I know," he chuckled nervously.

Merle felt like a failure as a father, he always hoped to have a mother for her before this point but his life had passed him by, and it was still just the two of them. When Merle actually thought about the fact that it had been seven years he could hardly believe it. He had been so busy raising a child alone, and for so long he had no interest in anyone new, Leah had been it for him. Merle felt like Simone should have a mom to talk about this kind of thing with, she wouldn't want to talk to him, and he completely understood that.

"I have a book you can give her," Carol suggested.

"A book about periods?"

He had no idea such books were even written.

"It's about puberty and sex, all that kind of stuff."

"She's only a child; she doesn't need to know about sex yet."

"She's your daughter, so I don't want to tell you what to do, but it may be easier to talk to her while she's still daddy's girl. Imagine talking to her when she's fifteen."

"Christ," he sighed. "I'll stop by on my way to get her from school and take care of this tonight."

"It's gonna be OK, Merle."

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing, Carol."

_**/** _

Merle finished up his shorter workday and stopped by at Carol and Daryl's place to pick up the book.

"I don't even know about this girl stuff myself," he groaned. "Maybe I need to read this too."

Merle knew it had something to do with having babies and eggs and things, but he thought he had more time to look into it.

"This conversation is no fun, but she should hear it from you instead of dumb kids at school," Carol shrugged.

"I thought I had more time," he sighed.

"If you need any help, I'm right here," she insisted.

"Thanks, Carol. You're one of the good ones," he smiled.

Merle headed to the school to pick Simone up and parked up to flip through the book while he waited. It had anatomically correct drawings, and he felt like a pervert just thinking of giving it to her.

Simone looked the same as always as she came running to the truck and jumped in, she didn't suddenly look like a woman or anything.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Hey, honey! You want pizza tonight?" he asked, hoping to distract her from awkwardness with her favorite food.

"Yay! I'm starving."

"You're always eating, and you never gain a pound," he laughed.

"It's cause I run track."

"Ugh! Running," he groaned.

_**/** _

They were crashed in the living room after stuffing themselves with pizza later that night, and he couldn't stop staring at her. She wasn't his baby girl anymore.

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Your Auntie Carol called me today-"

"I told her not to say anything!" she whined, sitting straight up and looking annoyed.

"I know you don't want me to know about this kind of stuff, but I kinda need to know cause it's like...a medical thing, right?"

"I didn't want you to know cause it's embarrassing for dads to talk about."

"I don't mind...and I need to know cause you need stuff for this when I go shopping."

She winced, and he could tell she was as uncomfortable as he was.

"Dad-"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Simone...I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Dad."

"It's not OK," he sighed. "I should have found a mother for you by now, I always meant to but...I just never found anyone."

"I don't need a mom; I have you."

"I'm supposed to talk to you about this stuff cause they didn't teach you in school but that's cringy for you, right? That's the word you kids use...cringy?"

"Dad. Seriously, it's OK."

"Aunt Carol gave me a book for you to read."

Simone looked sympathetic as he was drowning in awkwardness and he loved her for that; she knew how hard it was for him.

"I'll read it, and then if I have questions I'll come and ask you, deal?"

"Yeah?"

"Sure! Some other kids at school got books about this too, and they even have moms so this is fine."

"Do you need ice cream?" he asked.

"Ice cream?"

"Your mother always needed ice cream when she was...like that."

"What kind did she like?" she asked.

"Tiger tiger."

"Huh?"

"It's black licorice and orange."

"Yuck. I just like chocolate," she laughed.

"Just like me," he smiled. "So, do you want some?"

"Yes, please."

"Let me know when you need Advil too, OK?"

"Thanks, Dad...I didn't really have a sore throat."

"I kinda figured."

Merle took her for ice cream, and they watched an Ernest movie together. They both liked childish humor, and they'd seen every Ernest movie ever made more than once. Goofy Ernest movies were the only thing that could make them laugh in that first year after Leah's death.

Simone flipped through the book he gave her on the couch, and he felt like it was at least something.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I really don't need a mother; we're doing fine on our own."

"I'm trying hard, but I can't be a mom for you, kiddo."

"This book is really great! It's answering all my questions. You did really good," she smiled.

"Thanks, honey. I needed to hear that."

That was his little girl, right there, always trying to spare his feelings and make him feel better. Merle was proud of the girl she had grown into and knew that Leah would be too.

"Are you ever lonely, Dad?"

"Lonely? No, I have you," he chuckled.

She looked at him skeptically, like she didn't believe a word of it, and he remembered getting the same look from Leah sometimes.

"I'm fine, honey. I have everything I need right here."

"Uh huh."

Sometimes he wished she was one of those kids who didn't think so deeply about everything; she could always see right through him.

_**########################** _

_**Merle meets his new lady in the next chapter, and it's not Andrea** _ _**(FYI for an anon I received:) I just wanted to establish the relationship between Merle and Simone and show where they are at in their lives currently:)** _

_**Thanks very much for reading! Teagan xoxo** _

 


	3. Chapter 3

** A Family of Two – Chapter 3 **

The week moved too fast, and Merle tried to think of any reason that Simone should stay home, but nothing solid came to mind. He didn't like when she was gone for the night; Carol and Daryl's house was OK, but this was camping. She stayed at her aunt and uncle's place a lot but the thought of his little girl in the woods was terrifying for Merle, he was admittedly overprotective.

"I'm so excited!" she squealed.

Simone was sitting on her suitcase and trying to zip it up but it was overpacked.

"You taking the kitchen sink?" Merle laughed.

"I need to put some stuff away...it won't close," she sighed.

"Be quick, honey, we gotta hit the road soon."

He was dropping her off early at school, and the school bus would be taking his baby over an hour out of town until Sunday evening; he was sure he wouldn't sleep till she was back home.

"You should go out this weekend," she suggested as she got out to grab her bag from the bed of the truck.

Merle laughed and asked her where he was supposed to go.

"I don't know, grown ups go to the bar and stuff, right?"

"What do I need at a bar?" he chuckled.

"Maybe you could meet somebody. I meant it when I said I don't need a mom...but maybe you need someone."

He was about to argue with her that he was fine again but Merle knew her BS detector would go off anyway. He was getting a little lonely if he was being completely honest.

"You know what? Maybe I will."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why not?" he smiled.

Simone grinned and he could tell it's what she wanted to hear.

"I'm gonna miss you like crazy, honey."

"Me too, but I'll be fine, so I don't want you to worry...you worry too much."

"I know, but you're my baby girl so I can't help it. Come here."

Merle hugged her slow and didn't want to let go, but he made himself do it. She ran off to meet Sophia, and he knew the two girls would watch out for each other.

All day at work, Merle tried to imagine going out to a bar and the closest he could see happening was maybe shooting pool with Daryl. He could see it in Simone's eyes that she really wanted him to try so he'd do it for her. He dialed Daryl's number and asked if he wanted to go out since it was Friday.

"Sure, where did you wanna go?" Daryl asked.

"Doesn't matter. Simone says she wants me to go out and meet people. Maybe it's time I did try again."

"So, I'm playing wingman?" Daryl chuckled.

"I need all the help I can get, man."

/

Merle hated the quiet house when he got home after work. Simone's music wasn't blaring, and she wasn't yapping on the phone, it was just wrong.

He ate supper alone at the kitchen table and couldn't help thinking that when she left for college, this would be his life all the time if he didn't find someone.

Daryl was coming over to pick him up soon, so he stripped to his jeans and shaved his face in front of the bathroom mirror. He eyed his body skeptically in the reflection and decided he should start working out again; he'd gone a little soft over the years.

After a long shower and changing his clothes about five times he was ready, and Daryl showed up.

"You wanna shoot some pool at that new place on Main Street?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me. Do women hang out there?"

"My buddy Oscar from work met a girl there a couple weeks ago."

Daryl was a mechanic, and the two guys he worked with were single and had their choice of women. They were both young, fit and handsome; he wondered if he could still catch a woman's eye with men around like that. Leah had been crazy for him without him even trying; he hoped she wasn't the only one who could feel that way for him.

"It's been a hundred years now since I had a woman, Daryl, this is gonna be laughable."

"Have you really not been with anyone since Leah?"

"No...when was I supposed to do that? I've had Simone all this time, and up until recently I was still bent outta shape over Leah."

"We're gonna get you some then, come on."

"I want a wife, and a mother for Simone, Daryl, not a booty call."

"First things first, man. You actually have to find a woman and form a relationship with her before she'll marry you and play mommy for your daughter."

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah, I wouldn't make marriage and mom duties part of your pick-up game if I were you," Daryl laughed.

Merle sighed and followed Daryl out the door to his car.

/

The bar was loud and smoky that night, and Merle noticed attractive women almost everywhere he looked, but he couldn't think of how to approach any of them. He was still a young man when he met Leah, and she had pursued him, she even kissed him first.

He shot some pool with Daryl and nursed a beer for a while until Daryl decided to up the ante a little. He ordered Merle a couple of shots and started chatting up a group of women at a nearby table.

"What the hell are you doing?" Merle asked under his voice so the women wouldn't hear it.

"I'm being your wingman, stupid," Daryl whispered back.

"You're a married man."

"I know that. I'm not taking any of them home for Christ sake! I'm just trying to get you to talk to a woman."

Merle watched as Daryl yapped with a group of women all at once like it was nothing but he had no idea how to jump in, every one of them had eyes for Daryl already. A wingman who attracted all the women wasn't really helpful.

Merle looked around then and noticed a woman with long blonde hair sitting at the bar; she was looking right at him. She was sitting all alone and was easily the prettiest woman he'd seen since Leah; he felt something immediately. She had soft curves and full hips that made something stir inside him instantly just looking at her. The shape of her hourglass figure in a little black dress reminded him that he was a man with needs; he was interested right off the bat.

He decided to try some old trick shots from back in the day to see if she'd notice and soon she came closer to watch. His nerves were fried as she watched him, but soon he was dropping balls in holes like a pro again.

He wrapped up a game with Daryl, wiping the floor with him, but he had a feeling Daryl wasn't trying very hard. The pretty blonde woman lingered around the table as the other women drifted away and he tried to think of what to say, but nothing came to mind.

"Hey!" Daryl jumped in. "Name's Daryl; this is my brother Merle."

"I'm Christine," she smiled, holding her hand out to Daryl and then to Merle. "You're a good shot, Merle."

"Oh, thanks."

"I'm gonna go play some music while you two get acquainted," Daryl grinned and walked away.

"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked.

"Just from my wasted youth in pool halls," he laughed.

"Well, it's very impressive."

"I've never seen you in town before," he said, taking a sip of his beer and trying not to devour her with his eyes.

"I've only been here a few weeks, I'm still getting my feet under me."

"Where are you from?" he asked, feeling blown away that they were even talking.

"Atlanta, so it's a bit of a change. I bought a house that I swear is a thousand years old, and almost everything needs to be fixed."

"Didn't get an inspection?" he asked and then regretted it immediately. It sounded like criticism.

"I didn't have time," she shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that."

"It's OK. I normally would have done that, but everything has been crazy this year, and I needed to find a place for me and my son quickly."

"You have a son?" he smiled.

"Yes, he's four. I'm recently divorced, so I'm trying to start over."

"I have a daughter, it's just me and her," he added.

"And you're raising her alone?"

"Yeah, going on seven years now."

He regretted that statement as well; she'd be wondering what was wrong with him to be unattached for so long.

"That's a long time."

"Yeah, I've been too busy figuring out this single dad thing to get out much."

He noticed her drink was low, so he offered to buy her another.

"Thanks very much," she smiled. "Gin and soda with lime, please."

She was already a far cry from the woman who wouldn't allow him to open doors. Christine found a table, and he carried the drink back for her; he noticed that Daryl was grinning over at the bar.

"So what needs to be fixed on your house specifically?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He sat across the table from her and watched as she moved her long hair over her other shoulder then began to explain the mess in her new home.

"First of all, it's the old nob and tube electrical on the second floor and then plumbing in the basement."

"I can do electrical," he mused, "and my brother has done some plumbing."

"Oh?"

"Just sayin' if you wanted someone to do the work for you if you hadn't found someone yet."

There was only one journeyman electrician in town, and Merle knew there was typically a waiting list for jobs.

"You just met me," she smiled.

"I know, but that old electrical is pretty dangerous and I...I wouldn't want nothing to happen to you."

He felt 'cringy' as the young ones would say, but it was just his way to want to jump in and fix things.

"Are all small town men so sweet?" she winked.

"Geez, I don't know."

He could feel his cheeks begin to burn and found that it was a struggle not to come across needy with her, but she made him feel very needy.

"My sister said this was the place to be; I think she was right."

"Who's your sister?" he asked.

"Amy Harrison, she works at-"

"Castle Builders."

"Yes! I take it you know her."

"Amy is our payroll lady; she's a doll."

"What a small world!" Christine noted. "She's babysitting for me tonight so that I could get out for a bit."

"It's nice to have family to watch them, hey?"

"Definitely. I'm glad I met you or I probably would have spent the whole evening sitting at the bar alone," she smiled. "I'm a little shy."

"Me too, and it's been a while since I went out like this."

"We have that in common," she said softly.

Merle was ready to sign on the dotted line already. He knew it was irrational but it felt good to want someone again, and he was very interested in her.

They chatted some more, and he showed her how to do a few trick shots before the evening ended. Leaning over her from behind as he showed her how to hold the cue was virtually foreplay for a man in his position. Her long hair smelled like flowers as she pulled it around the other side of her neck to line up a shot and he almost died right there.

"I did it!" she squealed as she sank the ball she'd been aiming at, and he loved the way she laughed.

He was at the mercy of her round hips, long blonde flower-scented hair and her beautiful smile in less than an hour and it was exciting.

Christine gave him her phone number, and he folded it carefully to place in his wallet.

"It was really nice to talk to you, Christine."

"Same here, Merle, really nice. Call me," she smiled as she leaned in to hug him.

"Definitely."

Merle waited for her cab with her and then said goodnight, trying to suppress his excitement till she was out of sight.

/

"Well?" Daryl asked when they got back in the car.

He'd only had one drink, so he was OK to drive, his primary goal had been getting Merle tipsy and talkative.

"She's so fucking beautiful and so nice, Daryl. Fuck me; I want that woman!" Merle sighed.

"It's nice to hear you talk like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're a man and not just a dad, I was wondering if that would ever happen again."

"Me too...I never thought I'd want someone like this again."

"And so fast!" Daryl noted. "You sure about this?"

"I'm positive. She might not have a blind bit of interest in me, but I'm sure about her."

"She's a looker alright," Daryl agreed.

"Those hips and that gorgeous face will be the end of me, but it's more than that, she's really sweet and funny too," Merle sighed.

Daryl shook his head but he was smiling, the old Merle was back.

/

When Merle got home that night, he found his neighbor, Dale, out tending to his flower bed.

"Howdy, neighbor!" he hollered as Merle walked up the path.

"How's it going?"

"Can't complain, and who'd listen anyway," Dale laughed. "You managing OK without Simone?"

"Miss her like crazy, but I'm OK."

"Don't see you go out much," Dale noted.

"I went out with Daryl, and I actually met somebody."

"Yeah? Well, it's about time you got snatched off the market."

"Here's hoping," Merle laughed. "Goodnight, Dale."

"Night, Merle."

Dale had been there since the early days after Leah passed away and would bring over groceries, coloring books and little toys for Simone. It helped to have a neighbor who'd lend a helping hand, especially in those early days when he had no idea how to carry on.

Back at home, Merle stripped off his shirt and plopped down on the couch with a beer. He took her number from his wallet and smiled just looking at it. His head was racing with thoughts of Christine and it felt like a teenage crush, completely exciting and all-consuming.

That night, for the first time in years, he lay in bed and touched himself while thinking about someone other than Leah, and it felt like turning over a very important leaf. He couldn't stay married to a dead woman forever; maybe there was life and love beyond what he'd lost with Leah.

**##########################################**

**Thanks for reading! Hopefully, the notifications are actually working:/ lol**

**Teagan xoxo**

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

** A Family of Two - Chapter 4 **

"OK, I need to know about a man that you work with," Christine began.

She had to call her sister the moment she got up in the morning, she needed to know more about this man.

Brady was building a train track on the kitchen floor, and she was pouring her second cup of coffee.

"Who? And why?" Amy laughed. "Most of the guys I work with are...nevermind."

"His name is Merle; he says he knows you."

"Merle Dixon?" Amy mused as if the name were a statement in itself.

"Well?"

"He's nice."

"And?"

"I don't know him super well, but he's always really polite and chatty. How did you meet him anyway? I heard he's a bit of a homebody."

"At the new bar on Main Street, he was shooting pool with his brother."

"Daryl? Damn! He's a nice piece of ass, right? But he's very happily married, so I'll behave myself," she laughed.

"We just got talking, and he said he'd be willing to come over and have a look at the electrical."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, he seems really sweet, and he's seriously easy on the eyes."

"Do you think you'll end up dating?" Amy asked.

"I was hoping to stay single till everything is more settled. I'm in a ridiculous spot at the moment, but I hope so."

"That would be nice for him. I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen anyone since his wife died and that was years ago."

"He mentioned that he was a single father. How did she die?"

"Car accident, two other people died in the car too. She was just coming home from Christmas shopping with her girlfriends. It's the saddest thing I ever heard, and he was left with a five-year-old daughter to raise alone."

"That's horrible, and he's such a nice guy too."

"Are you going to tell him about everything?"

"I hate to even drag anyone else into this mess...and I'm not even sure he actually likes me yet, he might just be really nice. I already feel stupid using this fake name, but I can't let Phillip find us."

"I'm just glad you and Brady are away from him and that the prick doesn't know where you live."

"Me too. What a nightmare that was. I'm ready to forget all about it."

"You can now, Sis, and a new man might be just the way to do it."

"I just hope he's not put off by all of this drama in my past when I tell him."

"He's a good man; nobody in town has a bad word to say about him. I've only been here for four years, but everyone I know likes him. I think he'll understand when you explain why you did it."

"Like I said, I still don't know where it's going. I'll tell him as soon as I see an opening...I just can't have everyone here knowing my name."

"Don't stress yourself out, girl," Amy insisted. "Just take it one step at a time."

Christine smiled, maybe Merle was the guy who could change her luck in the love department, and a man with a child would already know how to be a parent.

"I hope he calls me today."

"Me too, you could do a whole lot worse than Merle Dixon. Good luck with that."

"Thanks."

When she got off the phone, she decided she needed some fresh air and to get out of the house with her little man.

"You wanna go to the park, buddy?" she smiled down to Brady.

"Can I get a puppy?"

Christine sighed, but they did have a fenced backyard now, so she didn't have much of an excuse.

"Lemme think about it, and I'll let you know in a couple of days. Deal?"

"Deal."

**/**

Saturday morning was spent folding laundry and wondering when he should call Christine. Merle hung up all of Simone's little clothes and vacuumed her bedroom; he always tried to keep her home as nice as any woman would. She already had to grow up with only a father, so he didn't want her growing up in a pigpen as well.

He noticed that she had posters of boy singers and actors on the walls of her room now and he smiled; she really was getting older.

By noon the house was clean, so he turned on some of her silly pop music just to feel like she was there and called Daryl for some advice.

"How's it going?" he began, but Daryl could see right through it.

"Merle, don't call her today. Never call a woman the next day."

"Is that really true? What happens if you do? Do they just instantly decide that they don't like you?" Merle argued.

"I don't know; it's just in the men's rule book that you don't do it...it might make you look desperate."

"Or interested."

"It's your funeral, man."

"Yeah yeah."

He fought the urge til 2 pm, but then he had to know if the sound of her voice could carry over to the next day. She had sounded flirty and friendly, and he hoped like hell she hadn't been experiencing beer goggles and actually wanted him to call.

The phone rang three times after he dialed and he sat in Simone's spot in the living room, waiting with his heart in his hands.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Christine?"

"Yeah. Merle?"

"Yes."

"You have a distinctive voice," she laughed, and he smiled with relief.

His voice always sounded rough and gravely, ever since he was a kid.

"I do, don't I? So...how's your Saturday going?"

"Pretty good. Me and Brady went to Cedar Woods Park to kick the soccer ball around, and now I'm just researching DIY on Youtube," she giggled.

"I'd be happy to come have a look."

"Are you sure? How much would that be?"

"I'm not taking your money."

"You're too nice to be real."

"Pfft!"

"I mean it...when could you come?"

"Anytime. My daughter is away camping with her class this weekend, so I'm losing my mind wandering around the house alone."

"I hated when Brady was gone for the night, but he won't be going anywhere overnight now...it's a long story."

"Don't we all have those," he sighed.

"I live in a big old house on Archer Street with a weeping willow out front."

"The old Houston place?" he asked.

"That's the one. So, you could come right now?" she asked sheepishly.

There was something in her voice that he really liked the sound of, a tension that he wanted to know more about.

"I'll be right there."

Merle wanted to look good, but he also wanted to get some work done for her so that her house didn't burn down. He settled on jeans and a white undershirt with a short sleeved flannel on top. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair and decided as he looked in the mirror that it was as good as he could get.

He got in his truck after double checking again that he hadn't gotten a call from Simone's teacher and headed to her place.

/

Pulling up in front of her house with his tools on the seat next to him left him just on the verge of trembling like a kid. This woman was so gorgeous she made his brain turn to mush.

He carried his things to the front door and knocked, but the door was answered by a small boy instead of Christine.

"You must be the man of the house. Is your mother home?"

"Yes. Mommy!"

Christine came running down the stairs and reminded the boy not to answer the door in case it was someone bad.

"Are you bad?" the boy asked him.

"Not me, little buddy, but you're mother's right. Better to be careful."

"OK."

Christine smiled down at the little dark haired boy and told him he could eat the cookies on the table now that they were cool.

"We're just going to have a look at the electrical upstairs," she explained to him, and the boy disappeared into the kitchen.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Merle."

"It's nothing," he insisted.

She led him up the stairs to the spare bedroom where a section of drywall had been removed from the closet, and he could see that it was dangerous old wiring. Christine explained that she had enough money to cover all the repairs but couldn't find anyone to do the work in a timely manner.

"And it's just on this level?" he asked, taking out his flashlight to see in behind the wall.

"That's what the electrician from town told me, but he said he couldn't come do the job for another six weeks."

"Did he leave it exposed downstairs at all?"

"Yes."

After confirming that the old wiring was only on the upstairs level, he estimated that he could get the job done in a matter of a week. There were only three bedrooms and no bathroom so it wouldn't take too long. He still had to work his full-time job, but if he came over on evenings and weekends, he'd be able to get the place safe for her and the boy.

"The big thing right now is just getting the old wiring out, so it's not a fire hazard, but then it could take me a week to get the place back together."

"A week?"

"That's the fastest I can go cause I still have to work during the day."

"No, I didn't mean that! I mean that it's really fast," she explained.

"You'll be stuck without electricity up here for most of the week, unfortunately, and there will be dust in the air from taking some drywall down."

"Me and Brady can camp out in the living room for the week, that's no big deal...thank you so much."

"I don't mind at all," he insisted.

Merle wanted to get the electrical out right away, so he went down to the basement and disabled the current before getting to work.

The old house didn't have central air like his place, and Christine only had a fan upstairs, so he was feeling the heat pretty quickly.

Merle took out the six walls that were necessary to get to the wiring and knew Daryl could get the drywall back up in only a day or so; he was a master at drywall.

Christine brought him lemonade, and he drank it gratefully as he stripped off his outer shirt and got back to work. He wished he'd spent some time at the gym before he met her but he'd get to it now and hopefully he'd be looking fit soon. He still had big strong arms, but he was suffering a little from "Dad-Body Syndrome."

By 5 pm he could smell something good downstairs, and he remembered how much he missed the smell of food he didn't have to cook himself. He and Simone had eaten a lot of pizza that first year, but he eventually made himself learn to make a decent variety of meals.

Christine called to him up the stairs that supper was ready and he wasn't sure if she was asking him to go or to come and eat with them. He walked down the stairs to wash his hands and wait for more information as she was taking food out of the oven.

"I hope you're hungry," she grinned.

"Oh...did you want me to stay?"

"Of course! I'm not having a man working his tail off in my house for nothing. Please," she said, offering him the head of the table next to Brady.

He sat down next to the boy who was blowing bubbles in his chocolate milk through a straw. He remembered that Simone used to do that.

"Brady, please, we have company."

"Sorry, mommy."

Merle smiled down at him to let him know he really didn't mind.

"My daughter used to do that too."

"How old is she?" Brady asked, looking interested in the idea of another child.

"She's older than you, buddy. She's 12, but she's a lot of fun."

"Oh," Brady shrugged.

"She plays soccer; I heard that you like that too."

"Soccer is the best!" Brady grinned.

Christine served BBQ chicken and potatoes with corn and biscuits, and Merle tried hard not to drool.

"Good Lord! This is the best lookin' meal I've had in front of me in ages."

She grinned and served him a healthy portion of food, and he ate so much that the apple pie she served him after supper almost killed him.

"You made this yourself?" he asked, recognizing the taste of homemade pie instantly.

"Yep! Like it?"

"I'd fix up your whole house for food like this," he laughed.

Merle insisted on helping out by drying the dishes after she washed them as Brady sat in the living room watching a movie after dinner.

"I really appreciate you wasting your Saturday here working," she smiled up at him. "That electrical was freaking me out."

"I was really happy to do it. I would have just sat around missing Simone anyway."

"I guess I'll be seeing more of you until this job is completed," she added.

"Yeah, my daughter won't be back until five tomorrow so I could work tomorrow as well. I don't want you to be without your upstairs for longer than necessary."

"I could make you breakfast then," she grinned.

"I can't wait."

Merle could feel electricity between them, and the look in her eyes was like nothing he'd seen since Leah was alive. He felt like a man again, and part of him wanted to pick her up and carry her to bed right there. He hadn't wanted a woman this way the whole time he'd been single, and he just prayed that it would all work out.

He ended up leaving shortly after but knowing he could see her in the morning was more than enough to sustain him in the long night alone. Merle hoped that Simone would be proud of him when she got back, he hoped they'd all get along together; all the new hope felt great.

/

Christine watched him drive away and kicked herself for not being able to find the words. Merle was everything she was looking for, and the kind of person she never thought she'd find. The idea of unloading all of her misery onto such a good person who'd already been through so much just didn't feel right.

She wanted him so badly already and knew that she'd have to tell him everything, but she was terrified to chase him away.

  
  


 


	5. Chapter 5

** A Family of Two – Chapter 5 **

Merle was up with the sun and ready to get going to Christine's place by 9 am. She was all over his mind since he met her and he couldn't wait to see where it was going, if anywhere.

He arrived at her door bright and early and she looked happy to see him.

"Did you want a coffee?" she asked, leading him into the kitchen.

"I'd love one, thanks."

Brady asked if he could help so Merle found some busy work for him that was safe. It was just like a little one to want to join in, Simone had been like that too.

Merle finished his coffee and got busy upstairs with his little sidekick.

Brady talked in circles about his favorite TV shows and about how he was getting a puppy. Merle tried to keep up as he worked on stripping the old wiring from the inner walls, the little guy could really talk.

He was reminded of Simone around the time that he'd lost Leah but it made him smile, he had healed from the worst of the pain now.

Christine came up to double check that Brady wasn't in the way and brought Merle a cold drink.

"You helping?" she asked Brady, and he chirped up that he was fixing the house.

"He's a big helper," Merle assured her.

Brady was sat on the landing and sorting all of Merle's tools into separate piles. Merle couldn't help liking the boy and wondering what had happened with his real father.

"Are you sure he's OK up here, Merle?" she asked. "I can take him for a walk."

"He's OK," Merle smiled. "I don't think I can get this job done without him, in fact. He's a natural handyman."

Brady grinned up at his mother and nodded his little head.

Christine wished she could find a moment alone with Merle to talk to him about her past but it just didn't feel like the right time with Brady in the house. Talking about her ex often got her emotional and Brady had seen enough crying in his lifetime. She'd have to wait, but no time ever seemed right when she enjoyed being around Merle so much. Just having him close made her feel calm and happy; the idea of bringing her past into the present made her very sad .

Around noon, she made sandwiches for Brady and Merle and had a moment to talk to Merle alone on the stairs.

Questions of whether she had enough time to go into such a horrible subject flew through her mind.

_/_

Merle sat down at the top of the stairs and Christine sat right next to him as he ate. She looked at the drywall that had been removed and the exposed beams and he felt he should put her mind at ease.

"I promise it'll look good when it's done," he laughed. "You and Brady will be safer too."

"I have every faith in you," she said softly, looking up at him through her lashes and taking his breath away.

He sighed and shook his head, she was too much to handle with any sense of class.

"What?" she asked with a shy smile.

"You...you're just so beautiful."

"Oh, thank you," she blushed.

"That's probably not very smooth but...it's been a long time since I felt like this."

"And how do you feel?" she pressed gently.

"You make me nervous and excited. I really like you."

"You make me nervous and excited too," she smiled.

She moved closer to him on the stairs and took the cup of coffee from his hands, placing it on the landing.

_Just one kiss before I tell him, just one kiss before the ugliness seeps in._

Merle could sense it coming and he was so wrapped up in her already he couldn't wait to drown in the way he felt.

She touched his face and paused for a long and beautiful few seconds before coming in closer to lay a soft and tentative kiss on his lips. It felt like his first kiss again, like he was 12 years old with a heart full of hope and big dreams.

The kiss morphed slowly into a more heated one and he dared to touch her waist as she slid right up next to him. She turned her head to the side and opened her mouth so he took the chance to taste her sweet tongue. His heart was racing and his clammy hands clenched a handful of her clothing like she was keeping his head above water. Seven long years without hugs, kisses or affection had left him feeling like he was going to fall apart from just a simple kiss, it was heaven.

They only pulled back when it became obvious that they could take it a whole lot further very easily and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Wow..." she said, biting her bottom lip playfully.

"You can say that again."

"I've been thinking of that since the night we met."

"Me too," he said, drowning in her blue eyes.

"I guess this'll be more complicated with us both having children already."

"I'll do whatever I have to do to make it work," he stated, jumping in with both feet.

"Me too, this feels so right."

Her hand was on his knee and he lay his hand over hers, just wanting to touch her skin.

She knew she'd have to tell him everything and that it couldn't wait another minute, there was no question that she had strong feelings for him.

"Merle...I have a confession to make."

"You can tell me anything."

She took a deep breath as she tried to put it into words but the sound of shattering glass in the kitchen startled her and her mom instincts kicked in.

"Brady! What was that?" she exclaimed.

The child began to scream and cry and they both flew down the stairs in parent mode.

"Baby! What happened?"

The child was sat crying on the floor next to a broken glass clutching his foot as it bled.

"I drop it and I cut my foot!" he screamed and Merle bent down to scoop him up off the floor. Merle was getting blood on his jeans but he was a dad so he couldn't care less.

He sat him on the kitchen table and had a look at the cut as Christine handed him a clean towel.

"You're gonna be OK, little man," he assured him with a smile.

"I'm bleeding!" the boy cried and his mother hugged him tight as Merle surveyed the damage.

"It's not that big, it's just bleeding a lot," Merle explained, putting pressure on the cut until it stopped.

"I'm going to get the first aide kit, baby."

She ran off to the bathroom to get the kit and Brady looked up at him with fear in his eyes.

"It's gonna burn," the boy sobbed and Merle knew he was referring to whatever disinfectant his mother was going to use.

"You're a big man, though, right?" Merle grinned.

"Yes," the child sniffed.

Christine returned and instantly pulled out the iodine.

"Just squeeze my hand as hard as you can and it'll be done before you know it, deal?" he said to Brady.  
"But-"

"See how hard you can squeeze, little man."

Brady grabbed his hand and squeeze pretty hard for a 4 year old as his mother cleaned and bandaged his foot.

The child was calmed down with hugs, kisses, and chocolate chips in a little plastic bowl within the next 10 minutes and Merle couldn't help thinking they made a good team.

Christine spent the next hour cuddling Brady on the couch and had no appropriate time to speak to Merle but she hoped she could call him later that day.

/

Merle stayed until 3 pm when he had to get ready for Simone coming home, he couldn't wait to tell her all about Christine.

He took a shower and replayed the kiss over and over in his mind. The ghost of Christine's touch lingered all over his skin and for the first time in ages he was thinking about actually making love to someone again.

He wondered what she had to tell him but with Brady's accident it had been forgotten in the shuffle. He figured she could always tell him later and he wasn't overly concerned.

When he arrived at the school to meet Simone's bus he had a bunch of flowers and wore something decent to take her out for supper at her favourite restaurant. Daryl stood next to him waiting for Sophia and they chatted about Merle and Christine's new relationship.

"She kissed me," Merle casually dropped into conversation.

"Yeah? Nice!"

"She's incredible, Daryl! Now I just gotta hope everything will work with her kid and mine."

"It'll be fine, Simone wanted you to find someone and her kid is only little right?"

"Yeah, he's cute as hell," Merle laughed.

The bus pulled up and Simone ran off the second the doors opened and right into his arms just like he hoped she would. He still wanted her to be his little girl a while longer.

"I missed you, Dad!" she squealed, and he set her back down on the ground after a long hug.

"I missed you like crazy, honey. You hungry?"

"Starving!" she groaned and he grabbed her bag to take to the truck.

"I got some big news actually," he said, as he waved goodbye to Sophia and Daryl.

"Really? What is it?"

"I'll tell you at dinner. You might want to be sitting down for this."

/

She insisted he spill the news the moment they ordered and he couldn't put it off anymore.

"I met somebody," he smiled.

"You did?"

"Yeah. You said to go out and try to meet someone and I did it! Get this, she actually likes me too!"

"I'm so happy for you, Dad! What's she like?"

Merle breathed a sigh of relief that she was happy cause she was still his number one girl, always would be.

"She's about my age, a little younger maybe...uh, she's pretty and nice and funny. She has a little boy actually, he's only four years old. Her name is Christine and her son's name is Brady."

"Wow...she has a child?"

"Is that OK?" he asked, afraid that he'd found a hitch.

"Yeah, it's fine, Dad."

"You sure?"

"I swear, it's fine. I just want you to be happy," she nodded.

"I could never be happy if you aren't, so tell me right now if there's a problem, honey. You're the one who always matters most to me."

"I know that, Dad. I just didn't think about another kid when I thought of you finding someone, but I'm OK with it really."

"It's just that a lot of women in my age group have kids so...it's just how these things work."

"I get it. Can I meet them?"

"Of course, I'll call her after supper. She's really sweet and her son is just a little guy, kinda chatty."

"So you're dating then?" she asked.

"I think so," he nodded and then he remembered the kiss and blushed without meaning to.

"What?"

"Nothing," he insisted.

Merle was quite sure she didn't want to hear about him kissing anyone.

"She better be good enough for you," Simone added, as she looked over the dessert menu.

"She is."

They ate and Simone talked all about her camping trip and all the fun she'd had with Sophia. He insisted they split the New York cheesecake they always did for old time sake and then asked if she'd go jogging with him after school the next day.

"You don't run," she laughed.

"I was thinking maybe I should start; I let myself go a little."

"No you didn't, you're fine just how you are," Simone argued.

"You're always on my team, aren't ya?" he grinned.

"Yep, cause you're always on mine."

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

** A Family of Two – Chapter 6 **

Christine put Brady to bed early that night since his foot was sore and he was fussy. She poured a glass of wine before dialing Merle's number and swallowed hard with her heart in her throat.

**Hey, you've reached Merle and Simone. We're probably out, or sleeping or too lazy to get up...leave a message at the beep, and we'll call you back.**

He had mentioned something about taking Simone out for dinner, and she didn't want to ruin her homecoming. She didn't want to ruin anything in their happy lives. She sighed, knowing he'd probably already told his daughter that her name was Christine...it was already a mess that she hadn't intended on.

**################################**

Merle picked Simone up from school on Monday and hoped that she'd come running with him. Her track and field ribbons were numerous, and she was an excellent long distance runner. If anyone could help him get into shape, it was her.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, you. Wanna come with me for a run?" he asked casually.

"Is your new girlfriend asking you to get in shape?"

"No! It's my idea...I just thought I'd feel a little more confident."

"As long as she's not making you do it."

"She's not like that, honey, I swear. She seems to like me just fine the way I am."

"Alright then, I'll beat you in running if you want," she laughed.

Half an hour later Merle was standing on the sidewalk out in front of their house with gray sweats and a football t-shirt on.

Simone stretched, and he copied what she was doing to the best of his abilities, but he couldn't reach his own foot behind his back to stretch his leg.

She asked if he was ready and he nodded before she took off like a kite in the wind ahead of him. He followed behind her huffing and puffing only a few blocks into the run.

"Sorry, I'll slow down!" she called back.

"It's OK," he panted, trying to pick up the pace a little.

He made it for about 20 painful minutes before he had to give in and collapsed on a stranger's lawn to catch his breath.

"Dad! You OK?"

"No...I'm old...and...out of shape," he gasped.

"Come on," she laughed, helping him up to walk back home.

"I'm a joke," he sighed.

"You'll do better tomorrow," she insisted.

"Ugh! Tomorrow?"

"I'm thinking you should workout every day now," she said, walking slowly beside him, "but not cause I care how you look, it's cause I want you to be around for a long time."

"You got it, honey."

"We can be workout buddies," she laughed.

"Do you still want to meet Christine tonight?" he asked.

"Sure, but first I need supper cause I'm starving."

Merle had ordered the new wiring for Christine's house and got a 50% staff discount that he hadn't surprised her with yet but it wouldn't be in until Wednesday. The job would still be done by around the weekend, and she told him she wasn't in a huge hurry, she was just happy to have it done.

/

Back at home, Merle made chicken pesto, and they ate at the kitchen table just like always. Simone tried to imagine a mother at the table with them and a little brother but had trouble really picturing it.

Her dad had tried so hard to be both parents for her, and she had never needed anything more than their family of two.

They ate in relative quiet, and she asked him about taking the babysitter's course at school. Sophia was taking the course too, and they had plans to save money together from babysitting.

"Babysitting? Wow, I guess you are old enough, huh? It would be good for you to learn all that stuff."

"Right," she nodded, sliding the permission slip across the table for him to sign. "I need twenty dollars too, though."

"No problem," he said, reaching for his wallet and handing her the form and the money.

Simone noticed that her dad appeared to be happier and she knew it had to do with the woman he'd met. He had been on the very occasional blind date but he always came home early, and it never went anywhere. Sometimes she'd get up for a drink or to use the bathroom at night, and he'd be sat on the couch all alone just staring at the TV. Her Uncle Daryl had Carol to cuddle in the evenings, she'd seen it countless times, but her dad had nobody, and it made her sad.

"So what does she look like?" she asked.

"She's so pretty," he smiled. "She has long blonde hair and big blue eyes and when she smiles you can just see it that she's the nicest person you ever met."

Simone loved the look in his eyes; she couldn't remember ever seeing it before, except maybe a little when he spoke about her mother.

"What's the plan for tonight?" she asked.

"I texted her earlier and just suggested that we hang out in her backyard, just keep it casual. She seems a little nervous to meet you."

"I am too," Simone admitted.

There was so much riding on this meeting that she could hardly sit still. Simone decided after talking about it with Sophia all day at school that she'd be very nice and try her best to like this woman so that her dad could be happy. She told Sophia that she'd only be mad if she hurt her father and Sophia said that sounded fair.

Simone didn't want to be replaced in his heart, and she trusted him that it wouldn't happen, they were a team.

/

"You still haven't told him yet?" Amy exclaimed.

"I'm going to tell him tonight...I tried to yesterday, but Brady cut his foot just as I was about to."

"So you're going to meet his daughter and give her a bullshit name?"

"Amy, I get it! I've never had to lie about my name before, and I didn't think I'd be meeting someone like him. I was expecting to be single for a long time."

"Just tell him tonight and just hope that he's cool with it. He probably will be when you explain why you did this but he still needs to know," Amy assured her.

"I know. I wish I could have just met him and not had this baggage. He's such a good man, and he's already been through so much, I hate dragging this mess around with me."

"Andrea, if you really care about him then you'll need to let him in and trust that he'll still want to be with you."

"I hope he can still trust me after this."

"I can think of bigger and worse lies than this, Sis, but you need to tell him before any more time passes."

"I know, I just feel like such a fool."

"Bite the bullet, Hun."

/

They both got cleaned up before heading over to Christine's, and the moment they knocked on the door, they were met by a very nervous looking woman.

"Hi! You must be Simone," she smiled and awkwardly reached out to hug her.

"That's me. Nice to meet you."

Merle was so proud of his child in that moment; she was so polite and understanding.

Soon they were all introduced and sitting in the backyard where Simone started to kick a soccer ball around with Brady.

"Try to get it past me, kiddo!" she called after setting up some empty plant pots for goal markers.

"She's so beautiful, Merle!" Christine grinned.

"Sure doesn't take after me," he laughed.

She could see it in his eyes then, Merle had realized that he hadn't actually told her about his wife. She wasn't about to push him, but she could see it was on his mind as he watched the children getting to know each other and play. Dusk was falling, and she waited patiently as he found the words.

"She looks just like Leah," he uttered.

Christine reached out and touched his hand but said nothing.

"I didn't know how to drop it into conversation before but, Simone's mother died when she was five years old."

"I'm so sorry; it must have been very hard for you both."

"It was really hard, especially at first. I wasn't sure if I'd be enough for her."

"You obviously were, though. She's an incredible person, Merle. I can see already how kind and mature she is."

"She's what kept me putting one foot in front of the other in the early days," he smiled, watching Simone chasing Brady and then pretending to run away from him like she was scared.

He realized how well they'd done together. He and Simone had been through something that could have taken them down, but they had survived.

After running around till she was out of breath, Simone settled down next to Christine and began to ask her about Atlanta. Simone had been a few times but asked about how it was to live there.

"It's really great; there are so many places to go, things to see and great shopping," Christine grinned. "I worked as an art director, but I'm doing a lot of my work online now."

"Why would you ever move here?" Simone laughed.

"I kinda had to...it's a long story."

"I'm taking a babysitting course this week," Simone added, changing the subject when she realized it was an awkward territory.

"That's great! I'm in the market for a responsible young lady to babysit," Christine broached.

"Really?" Simone asked wide-eyed.

"Of course. Your father has nothing but great things to say about you, and I can see how good you are with Brady already."

"Yes!" Simone chirped.

She wandered off to play with Brady again, and Merle came closer to wrap his arm around Christine.

"You're a miracle, you know that?" he sighed.

"So are you...I still need to talk to you; there are things I should have told you already."

"Honey, you can tell me anything," Merle insisted.

"Maybe tonight after the kids are in bed we could talk on the phone about it."

"Whatever you need."

"Sometimes I get a little emotional talking about it, and I don't want to upset Brady."

"That's fine."

"I hope you won't be upset with me, Merle. I think we have something really good going on here."

"Me too, honey. I'm sure it'll be OK."

Merle was a little nervous about what she had to say, but nothing was about to change the way he felt about her. He knew they'd ride it out, no matter what it was.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 7** _

  
  


"So?" Merle asked as soon as they got into the work truck.

He needed to know what Simone thought and he needed to know right away.

"She's really great, Dad."

The way she smiled at him indicated that she really meant it and he was overjoyed.

"Thank God," he sighed.

When they got home it was a little late so Simone brushed her teeth and went straight to bed but he got a big hug first and another reassurance that she liked Christine and Brady a lot.

He waited until she was actually sleeping to call Christine and closed the door to his bedroom for added privacy. Something told him that it would be a long and possibly a not child friendly conversation.

Merle lay back on his bed in only his boxers and dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you," he smiled just at the sound of her voice.

"Hey."

It was evident that she didn't know how to begin so he just waited as she figured it out.

"You know I'm divorced, right?"

"Right."

"It's a little more complicated than that, though. My ex husband is a dangerous person."

"Did he hurt you?" Merle asked, immediately sitting up in bed.

"Yes. I really hate to tell you this but if we're going to be together then you need to know. You have the right to know so you can decide if you really want to be with me."

"Of course I do."

"You may not after I tell you this...I lied to you about my name."

"Huh?"

"My name isn't Christine, it's Andrea."

Merle didn't really know what to say; he wasn't angry, he was just confused.

"I'm so sorry, Merle. I meant to tell you before our children met but it all happened so fast and when I tried to tell you the other day Brady had that accident and it got lost in the shuffle."

"Are you hiding? Is that why you gave me a fake name?"

"Yes...Christine is the name of my best friend from kindergarten. I didn't change Brady's name cause he could never keep it straight. I just told him that people would be calling me Christine now; he never calls me by my first name anyway. I'm just scared that my ex will find me."

"Tell me what this man did to you, honey."

She sighed and took another few seconds before unveiling the whole thing in one piece.

"I was married to a man named Phillip Blake. He's a very influential person in Atlanta, he works with the mayor. He has power and money and in the beginning he seemed nice...he didn't change until I became pregnant with Brady. He was possessive but I thought in the beginning it meant he really cared about me, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I grew up without a father so I thought maybe men were like that, I think I even found it flattering at first. But soon he was showing up at my work, threatening men I worked with and accusing me of cheating."

Merle couldn't believe what he was hearing and wanted blood already, but he continued to listen.

"Even when I was in late pregnancy he thought I was running around if I worked late...it was insane and it scared me. It went on and on and he said he'd kill me if I ever left. I put up with it for a long time because I was scared for me and Brady. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I did finally leave. I filed for divorce and moved into my own apartment with Brady but Phillip wouldn't stand for it."

"What did he do to you?" Merle demanded.

"He broke into my place one night and choked me till I passed out...when I came to, I knew that he'd done things to me."

"He raped you?" Merle exclaimed and then forced himself to keep his voice down.

"Yes, and as far as I know Brady slept through the whole thing. He was three at the time and he's a heavy sleeper, thank God. I went to the hospital and had an exam...they took pictures of my neck and everything. The police were called in and I tried to press charges but, like I said, he has a lot of influence in the city and they said there was insufficient evidence to arrest him. One detective even accused me of trying to cause trouble for him to extort money. He suggested that we'd had consensual sex and I was just spinning a lie to hurt him."

"Jesus Christ, honey, that's fucking awful," he sympathized. "Where is this prick? I wanna pay him a visit."

"I don't want this to be a problem for you, Merle. You've already been through enough."

"It's already a problem."

"I'm sorry that I lied to you."

"I don't care about that, honey, I'm just worried for you."

"I ran from Atlanta with just one credit card and enough money from his safety deposit box at the bank to get myself set up somewhere else. I took just enough to pay for the house with cash. As far as I know, he doesn't know where I am. He never wanted me to talk to my sister so I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that she lives here."

"Christ Almighty! You poor thing."

Merle wished he could hold her at that moment, she sounded tired and alone.

"Merle...with everything you and Simone have been through, I don't want to bring you trouble. It was selfish of me to begin something with you when my life is such a mess...but you were so sweet and I couldn't help wanting to be closer to you. I never felt the way I do when I'm with you, but I don't have the right to hurt you or your daughter."

Merle took it all in and thought about it for all of 5 seconds before pledging his devotion to her.

"Sounds to me like you need someone to stand by your side and not back down when shit hits the fan."

"It doesn't feel right to drag anyone else into this ugliness."

"I'm gonna be that man for you, Andrea," he stated plainly.

It felt funny to call her by a different name but he couldn't care less what her name was. A rose by any other name and all that.

"What will Simone say?" she asked.

"I think she'll understand, she's very mature for her age. This asshole doesn't know where you live, though, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I hope not. I'm being as careful as I can be and keeping an extremely low profile. I'm not online at all with my real name and I don't set foot in Atlanta for anything."

"We'll play it real careful then, right? I don't want this to end before it even begins."

"Me neither, but remember that if it's ever too much for you or if Simone isn't comfortable that I'll understand...I'll be sad, but I'll understand. I know first hand that when you have a child they come first and I'd never blame you for putting her happiness or safety before everything else."

"You're a good woman, Andrea, and you don't deserve to be alone forever just cause of that monster."

"Merle..." her voice was soft and fragile and he could feel himself falling for her completely. "Thank you for understanding. I was terrified that you wouldn't want me anymore."

"You don't know how bad I wish you were in my arms right now, honey," he sighed, laying back on his bed and imagining it.

"I swear, you're the one I've been looking for all my life," she whispered and he knew right there that she was the one.

"You're killin' me...I already need you so much."

"My bed feels so empty tonight, I wish you were here with me," she said softly and he could hear it in her voice that she was smiling.

"I'd love to keep you warm, honey. I got a few extra pounds on me so I'm more than qualified," he chuckled, trying to bring a little levity to the conversation.

"You're gorgeous, Merle, just how you are. I'm hoping to see more of you, in fact."

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely. I'd like to see all of you."

She giggled then and he felt goosebumps all over, imagining her lips on his skin.

"You're too much, Andrea," he grinned. "That feels funny now, callin' you something different."

"Sorry."

"I like calling you honey best anyway."

"I love you calling me honey."

Merle knew that he wanted to proceed, even if he knew there was a chance of complications. Maybe it was irresponsible, but he felt sure that he could keep everyone safe. He didn't want to be selfish, but now that he'd found Andrea he didn't want to let her go over some abusive asshole. Part of him couldn't help thinking of his own daughter. He hoped there would be a decent person there who'd stand by Simone's side if she ever needed someone the way that Andrea did. The idea of a woman becoming a pariah just because she'd been abused wasn't right and he wanted a better world than that for Simone. Merle wasn't a man who'd ever walk out on a woman who needed support, understanding, and love. He was a small town single dad who made banana pancakes for his little girl every weekend, but he was also a good man who wasn't about to take any shit from anyone.

He needed to talk to Daryl, then he needed to talk to Simone and he hoped that it would all pan out. Merle never thought he'd find someone to love him the way that Leah had, so he was holding onto that feeling for dear life.

 

  
  


 

 

 

  
  


 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

** A Family of Two - Chapter 8 **

"Dad?"

The sound was weak and fragile, and it was immediately followed by the sound of vomiting from the bathroom. Merle opened his eyes and jumped out of bed in only his boxers to see what was wrong with Simone; she sounded like death.

"Awww, baby," he sighed, as he went in to check on her.

Merle held Simone's hair out of the way as she tossed her cookies into the toilet and then washed her face when she was done.

"I'm gonna get you some anti-nausea medicine and some Gatorade, honey. Don't move."

She just groaned, and he could see she was trying not to puke again. Merle grabbed the medicine for her, and she took a sip of the Gatorade to wash it down.

"I feel like I'm gonna die," she whined.

"Not on my watch, you ain't. I'm gonna call into work."

"Can't Dale just come over?" she asked as she wandered back to her room.

"Don't you want me to stay?" he asked.

"Of course I do. I was just sayin' if you wanted to go to work."

"I'll stay for the morning at least and then if you're feeling better by lunch, I'll call Dale."

"Deal."

She slowly slithered back into bed, and he brought the garbage can in case she got sick again. He tucked her into bed and felt her forehead for fever; her skin just felt clammy.

"Anything else I can do?" he asked.

"No, I just don't wanna puke again," she pouted.

"Stay still and let that medicine do its thing," he said, kissing her forehead and leaving her to rest. "Call me if you need me."

Simone just moaned and turned over in bed.

Merle called into work and to Simone's school then called Daryl when Simone drifted back to sleep. He went into his en suite bathroom so he could speak openly about it with Daryl, the way he'd tell Simone would be much more gentle.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Daryl asked.

"I got a bit of an issue with Christine," he sighed.

"Shit! What happened?"

"Turns out her ex is a nutcase stalker and she moved here to escape the prick."

"Jesus! Really?"

"The guy must be an animal or something, he broke into her place in Atlanta and assaulted her. And get this, her name isn't even Christine, her name is Andrea. She's hiding from the bastard."

"You ending it?"

"Hell no!"

"You sure it's a good idea to get involved in all that?"

"It doesn't feel like I have a choice, she's the one I want. Andrea is the only woman I've been able to see myself with since Leah, and she's the only one who's ever looked twice at me."

"I get it, just be careful with all this," Daryl sighed.

"I will. I don't want to be selfish, and I never want to take risks with Simone but...I didn't realize how depressed I was getting until I met her."

"You were?" Daryl asked.

"I haven't thought much of myself since I lost Leah, I stopped believing that I had anything to offer a woman anymore. You know as well as anyone that nobody ever loved me like Leah did, she really understood me...it feels like Andrea does too."

"I didn't know you felt down like that."

"It crept in kinda slow. I've just been alone for so long, and I can see Andrea and me being happy together. I don't want to let some asshole take this away from me before it even starts."

"You're right, just don't go letting your guard down."

"I won't."

"Good luck with telling Simone."

"Yeah...that's the next thing."

/

Just before lunch, Simone was able to drink some chicken broth, and Merle asked if she was well enough to talk.

"Sure...what is it?"

"This is a big thing so it can wait if you're not OK."

"Just tell me," she answered, rolling toward him in bed.

"It's about Christine. She was married before she moved to Brookhaven and the man she was married to was a really bad person."

"Brady's dad?" she asked.

"Yes. The thing is, she had to leave Atlanta to get away from him so she could keep Brady safe and to stay hidden she used a different name."

"Really?"

"I know it sounds really out there...her name is actually Andrea."

"When did she tell you this?" Simone asked.

"Only last night. She says she's sorry for getting involved with me when she had this in her past and that she'll understand if I need to end it."

"You dumped her?" Simone exclaimed.

"No...I couldn't do it."

"Good."

"It's still a potential risk for us," he said. "I never want to take risks with you, honey."

He had to be completely honest with her; she'd always know if he wasn't. She needed to know the true risks and everything up front.

"This guy doesn't know where she is?"

"No. She moved here to be close to her sister Amy who works with me."

"Do you love her, Dad?"

He didn't quite know how to put it into words, so he fumbled his way through it as usual.

"I only just met her but I think I could love her in time. She really likes me, and it's been forever since I had that. I never thought a woman would ever like me again the way your mom did. I shouldn't really talk to you about this, should I?"

"We talk about everything," she argued.

"I wasn't looking to bring drama into our lives or anything."

"I know that. You need to keep seeing her, and when I get my babysitter's course I'll babysit so you can take her out," she grinned. "Andrea already asked if I'd be willing to look after Brady sometime."

"Already got a job then, hey?" he smiled.

"Yep!"

"You're my #1 girl; you know that, right?"

"I know that," she smiled.

/

Merle went to work for the afternoon and left Simone with Dale. He felt better about everything then, both Daryl and Simone wanted him to keep seeing Andrea, and he was grateful to have their support.

He worked for a couple of hours and then texted Andrea on his coffee break to fill her in on the good news.

**~ Still wanna see me?**

**~ yes:)**

**~ good, cause I talked to my family and they're all on board with us making a go of this. I can't stop thinking about you**

**~ same here, I was thinking about you a lot last night in particular;)**

**~ Oh yeah? I'd sure like to hear more about that. The wiring for your house came in, and Simone has her babysitting class tomorrow night.**

**~ So you're coming over then?**

**~ Yep, if you'll have me**

**~ Anytime;)**

Merle grinned at his phone and loved that he had someone to feel this way with, he couldn't wait to see her the next night.

/

Simone recovered after a day in bed, and that night he put on a stupid Ernest movie and curled up on the couch with her.

"So what did you and Dale do today?" he asked.

"Nothing much, he read  _Charlotte's Web_  to me again and gave me popsicles."

"He's the best."

"Definitely."

"Not pukey anymore?" he asked.

"I feel better now, just really tired."

"You wanna go to bed?"

"After this, it's my favorite one," she smiled.

 _Ernest Goes to Camp_  was as cheesy as movies got but it was a comfort movie from way back.

"I can't believe you're getting your babysitting license tomorrow night," he mused.

"Yep! Then I can start making money!" she grinned.

"So it's from after school until 8 pm?" he checked.

"Yes, and they're feeding us pizza for supper too."

"Cool, is everyone in your class taking this course?"

"Pretty much, we get to learn first aid and all kinds of safety stuff."

"That's good then."

Simone ended up passing out on the couch at around 9 pm, so Merle scooped her up and put her in bed after watching her sleep for a while. He never wanted to let go of her, but she was growing up fast.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**_ A Family of Two - Chapter 9 _ **

Merle got off work an hour early the next day to get moving on Andrea's house since the materials had finally come in. He had until 8 pm when he'd have to pick up Simone to get a lot of work done.

Andrea met him at the door in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless top that pulled his eyes all over her body. She was like a dream to him, and he didn't want to wake up. She had shapely legs and nice wide hips that made him ache to see her undressed. Being around her made him instantly miss sex desperately whereas he hadn't thought of it very much before meeting her.

"Got everything here to do the wiring now," he smiled.

"Come on in," she said, moving out of the doorway for him to bring materials into the house.

Brady insisted on carrying his tool box up the stairs which took him a while since it was heavy.

"You're a strong boy, Brady! Thank you," Merle praised.

He liked the kid, after everything he'd been through he was still sweet and trusting and that was nice to see.

Merle worked for a while and got a lot done in a short period of time. Brady was building a huge Lego creation in front of the TV, so Andrea came to bring him a glass of lemonade while he was busy.

"Thanks," he said, taking a break in the late afternoon heat to drink the entire glass in a few sips. "I needed that."

"You have to be the handiest, sweet and handsome man I ever met," she grinned.

Merle shrugged at her praise and tried to refrain from blushing. He had stripped to his undershirt and was busy securing the new wiring to the studs inside the walls, and she eyed him like he was edible.

"What?" he asked, not recognizing the look since it had been so long.

"Nothing," she grinned, looking down the steps to see that Brady was still safe and occupied.

Merle was urged against a door so quickly then, that he didn't see it coming and she kissed him out of the blue seductively. He could feel her fingers slip into his belt loops and she pulled him even closer by the hips. It was something else to be approached this way when it hadn't happened in so many years. Every move she made felt intense and created such a powerful impact on his body and heart.

Her tongue filled his mouth, and he allowed his hands to run down her body to her perfect hips. She moaned just softly into his mouth, and he wanted her so badly he could taste it.

Everything escalated quickly, and soon he had her pressed to the door instead and was pulling her leg up around his waist.

"Jesus," she whispered, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into her.

They both knew it had to stop, but it felt so good that stopping wasn't easy.

"When can I get you alone?" she pleaded.

"The weekend? Simone could babysit," he panted with his hands grasping for more of her body.

She licked his earlobe and rolled her hips into him, and he thought he'd lose his mind right there.

"I need your touch on my bare skin," she hissed as she ghosted her hand over the bulge in his jeans, sending a shockwave of lust throughout his body.

"Fuuuuck," he groaned.

"You OK?"

"Not really," he moaned. "It's been years since anyone touched me...you're making me crazy, honey."

"I'm sorry, it's just hard to keep my hands off you. I'll behave myself till this weekend," she smiled.

Merle finished up the work, but it took everything he had not to weep from need. They stole a few more delicious kisses before he had to leave to pick up Simone from her class.

He called Daryl when he got home, and he said he'd be over to put up the drywall and look at the plumbing for Andrea the next night as a favor to Merle.

"Thanks, man, I owe ya for this," Merle exclaimed.

"No, you don't, I'm happy to help."

"All the materials are at her place, and the wiring is complete."

"Cool. I'll get her all set up by bedtime tomorrow. So we got two new babysitters in the family, huh?"

"Yep, Simone and Sophia both got 96%. We got a couple of smart cookies here," he laughed.

Simone put her certificate in a frame and Merle hung it on her wall before bed.

"So can I still babysit Brady?" she asked.

"Definitely. This'll be my first proper date in years; I'll pay you double," he laughed.

"I bet Brady has never seen an Ernest movie before."

"They're old as hell so probably not. He likes building Lego too."

"It'll be a piece of cake," she smiled.

"Thanks a lot for this, Simone. You're being very grown up about everything."

"I want you to be happy, Dad."

"I love you, honey."

"I love you mostest."

_**#######################################################################** _

_**Next chapter is date night for Merle and he gets to see if he's still got it after 7 years of celebacy;)** _

  


  


  


  


  


  


  


  


  
  


 


	10. Chapter 10

 

_**A Family of Two - Chapter 10** _

 

When Saturday finally came, Merle could barely sit still and paced around the house as he got ready. He'd spent the last few days seeing Andrea here and there and chatting at night on the phone, and he couldn't wait to have her alone.

"Should I shave?" he asked Simone, who was sprawled on the couch with the book he'd given her about puberty.

"Don't shave, you look better with some facial hair," she answered without even looking up.

"You think?" he mused, wandering back to the bedroom to find a shirt to wear.

"Don't use the cologne you got from that Avon lady, it smells like bug repellant," Simone warned.

"Which one is good?" he hollered.

"The one I got you for Christmas, that one called Chrome."

Merle dug through the bathroom cupboards and was bombarded by all of Simone's girly lotions, face washes, and lip gloss.

Finally, he found the stuff he was looking for and sprayed it on his bare chest and continued his preparations.

Andrea would be bringing Brady over to be babysat by Simone, and he was planning to take her for a proper dinner and whatever happened after that was a mystery to him.

He called Dale to inform him that Simone was babysitting alone for the first time.

"She's a big girl now, hey? I'll keep and eye out, and she can always call me for anything," Dale insisted.

"Thanks, buddy. She's pretty excited to do this alone, but I feel better knowing you're right next door."

"I'm not going anywhere. Good luck on your date, Merle. It's not right for a man like you to be alone."

"Thanks, man. I really like this woman, so I'm kinda nervous."

"It's gonna be fine, son. Just be yourself, and she won't be able to resist," Dale chuckled.

"Pfft! Thanks, man. Talk to ya later."

"Yep."

Andrea had suggested that she wanted to take things further but he wasn't counting on anything specific, he just wanted to be with her. Still, he decided to buy some condoms for the first time in 15 years. He hadn't used them with Leah for years before she passed away but he presumed Andrea would insist on it and he was fine with that.

He kept running all week with Simone, and it was still fairly pathetic, but he already felt a little better about his body than before.

He put on a fitted black t-shirt and his best pair of jeans but was sent back to his room by Simone to get a blue button down shirt for over top.

"Good?" he asked when she finished adjusting his collar.

"Perfect," she smiled. "You better really like her cause she's going to marry you."

"Stop," he laughed.

Andrea arrived with Brady, and she was in a white sundress with tiny red flowers all over it. Merle eyed her bare shoulders and the way the dress hugged her body and tried to maintain his composure, but his mind was deep in the gutter with just one look.

Merle was eager to get going, but first, he went over a battery of safety tips and instructions.

"Keep the windows locked, and the doors. Do not answer the door or the phone-"

"What if you call?" she grinned.

"Shit! Yeah, answer the phone but don't tell anyone you're alone, OK?"

"I know, Dad."

"The fire extinguisher is in the hall and Dale is right next door."

"I know."

"And remember-"

"Dad, go out and have a good time. Me and Brady are going to be just fine."

He sighed and knew that he was being paranoid.

"Sorry, honey. I love you."

"Get going, and don't hurry back," she giggled.

Simone was excited to be trusted with babysitting for the first time, and Andrea's absolute faith in her made her feel like a very big kid.

"I know you're going to do a great job, Simone. Brady is so excited about this."

"Thank you, Andrea," she blushed.

Andrea made her feel funny, kind of shy but in a nice way. She was pretty and kind, but most of all Simone loved the way she looked at her dad. Andrea always looked at her dad like he was some kind of movie star and he deserved that. She knew her dad was self-conscious and never quite felt good enough, but she could see that Andrea was already changing that in him.

"Where are you going for supper?" she asked as they gathered their things to leave.

"The Chimney. You have both our numbers, right?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Sorry, I know you got this."

"It's OK. You guys have fun," she smiled and nudged them toward the door.

Brady was already watching cartoons and Simone had given him a bowl of goldfish crackers to munch. She wasn't concerned at all, Brady was an easy kid to care for, and she liked him already.

/

"This is kinda nerve racking," Merle confessed when they got in the truck.

"It'll be fine, she has her course, and I was babysitting at her age."

"Yeah?"

"Sure, she's so much more responsible than I was too. Simone will be absolutely fine, and you have Dale next door if she needs help, right?"

"Right."

Merle took her for supper, and after texting Simone a few times, he started to relax that she was really OK.

"You can't go back too soon after supper, or she'll think you don't trust her," Andrea teased.

"You think?"

"No, I'm sure she wouldn't think that...but maybe I want you to myself for a little while after we eat," she grinned.

"Oh yeah? I like the sound of that."

"Me too," she smiled, and his heart skipped and jumped all over the place.

Merle loved being out with her and figured that he'd get used to the way she looked at him someday but he had no idea when.

"You sure clean up nice," she winked.

"Simone helped me out in that department," he laughed.

"She has good taste in clothes."

"She gets that from her mom...sorry."

"Hey, it's OK. You go ahead and speak about her whenever you want to."

"I just don't want you to think my mind is anywhere but with you, cause I'm into this completely."

"I wasn't thinking that," she smiled.

"I'm afraid of messing this up...I've been waiting a long time for someone like you."

Leah always told him that what she loved so much about him was his openness and honesty so he figured he'd stick with that.

"I don't see anything messing this up, Merle."

She suggested that they finish up eating so they could go for a drive, and it sounded like a great idea to him.

"Maybe we could drive down to the creek," she suggested.

Merle paid the bill and was glad that she didn't object, he liked to pay.

 

Within 20 minutes they were parked up at the edge of the water where it was nice and secluded, and his heart raced as he looked at her.

"It's been forever and a day since I was alone with a woman I cared for," he sighed, almost trying to warn her of how awkward he'd be.

Andrea didn't say anything; she just moved a little closer.

"It sure is a pretty sky tonight," he rambled and then suddenly she was pulling his arm around her.

"Merle...kiss me."

She was everywhere at once: in his heart, in his arms, and in his soul.

Her kiss was sweet and soft, and he just sank into it with her so naturally. It felt simultaneously comfortable and exciting, and he wondered how that was even possible.

Merle didn't know how far it was meant to go but decided that he'd just leave it to chance for once, he just wanted to live in the moment for a change.

Her hand moved to his thigh, and it felt so foreign but so good as well.

She smelled of flowers, and she tasted like the red wine from dinner, full of depth and a little sweet.

Soon the kiss became hot, and their hands started to wander to yet untouched areas of each other's bodies. Some 70s love song was playing on the radio, and he knew that she was it for him already, she was the one he needed.

 

_**Baby, I'd love you to want me** _

_**The way that I want you,** _

_**The way that it should be.** _

_**Baby, you'd love me to want you** _

_**The way that I want to** _

_**If you'd only let it be** _

 

Merle closed his eyes and let his hands pull her closer until the unthinkable happened and she slithered into his lap.

She settled her weight on him, and he buried his face in her neck trying to get a grip on reality.

"I want you so bad," he moaned.

"The feeling is mutual...am I going too fast?"

"No, honey, you're right on time."

Merle's hands moved up and down her thighs slowly as she began to rock almost imperceptibly against the heat in his jeans. Her curves were dangerous, and her skin was so soft.

He couldn't bear it anymore, so he moved in on her breasts, only inches from his mouth and touched her there with his greedy hands.

She moaned softly, and he knew he'd be jumping through hoops to please her as long as he lived. Andrea was the woman who could fill his heart back up with all the love that Leah once did.

Finding someone who accepted him the way Leah had was something he didn't see happening, but here she was.

Merle could actually see himself marrying her; his heart was reaching well beyond this one date, and it felt good.

Andrea began to kiss his neck, licked his ear softly and one hand moved down his chest to the narrow gap between their bodies. He almost died when her little hand ran over the desperately hard dick he was trying to restrain.

"I need you," she whispered into his neck, and he knew it was on.

He was rusty as hell, but he needed her to know he was up to the task.

Merle pulled her tight against his body and lifted her a little to lay her down on the bench seat.

He took her beautiful face in his hands for a moment before he kissed her again and began to trail his other hand down her thigh.

She clung to him like she was just as desperate as he was and he wouldn't let her down if it killed him.

Her leg fell open eagerly as he crept further and further up her inner thigh.

"Touch me," she whined before he had to even question that she wanted it.

His hand curved around her hip and up to her belly under the sundress before sliding into her lace panties.

He found her wet and wanting; it was evil how smooth she felt against his fingertips.

She held his mouth to her chest as he started to trace slow lines up and down her slippery lips and then she reached down to undo his pants. He assisted her in releasing his dick, and she groaned aggressively at what she discovered.

"Damn, Merle!"

"What?"

"Nothing...don't stop," she hissed.

He laughed nervously until she began to stroke him and his mind went blank.

The heat burned out of control so quickly as they blinded each other with touch.

He slid his fingers inside her, then circled her clit slowly, and the sound of her moaning was like nothing he'd ever heard.

"You touch me just right, baby," she whimpered, and he couldn't wrap his head around this living wet dream.

"You make me so crazy, honey...I never thought I'd find you."

"I'm here, Merle....this is so right," she hissed as her hips rolled toward the sweet pressure created by his expert hands.

Merle wanted to make her come apart, and so he moved down her body to kiss her legs with his hungry lips.

"Are you real?" she moaned.

"Are you?" he chuckled, as his attention drifted further up her thighs.

It had been a lifetime since he'd tasted a woman and he prayed that she wanted him to. By the way, she was threading her fingers through his hair; he presumed he was on the right path.

He worked his way between her hot thighs and her legs opened, allowing him close enough to smell the sweet fire before him.

Merle loved the scent of her desire blended with sweet smelling feminine lotion. Her soft white inner thighs invited him to the pagan poetry behind the lace of her panties.

He kissed that red lace slowly and softly, teasing her into his web.

She moaned and pulled his hair in an effort to get him closer, and he couldn't wait to test out his skills.

Soon he was urging her panties down her legs, and he could tell from the look in her eyes that she wanted him.

He felt like a man again, a sexual being and not only a father and realized how badly he needed it.

Going down on her was a moment he never thought would happen. Seeing her for the first time in the bar and having her show interest in him was like a shot in the dark and ever since that day he was a different man.

She fell under his spell easily, and soon her thighs were trembling with satisfaction as she pulled his mouth closer.

"Good God, Merle....that so good."

He smiled but didn't stop teasing her clit gently with his lips and tongue. He kept it simple for the first time, and it was more than enough because she came apart less than 5 minutes into it.

When she made a move to reciprocate, it was so good he could hardly imagine it going better. Andrea stripped him of his jeans, and he prayed that they wouldn't get discovered by a cop or an innocent bystander as she pulled her dress over her head and unfastened her bra.

She rolled over him, slid a leg over one of his, and he could feel the wetness of her against his upper thigh as she worked his dick with her eager hand.

"You're so sexy...it's taking all I have not to ride you right now, but I don't have a condom," she sighed.

"I do, but there's no rush if you'd rather wait," he panted.

"You have one?"

"Sorry, I wasn't presuming anything about you...it was just in case."

"It's OK; I wasn't thinking that," she insisted. "Grab it."

Merle fumbled with his jacket and grabbed the condom he wasn't seriously thinking he'd need. He looked at her with his heart on his sleeve and love in his eyes and knew that she could read him like a book.

"Merle, I feel the same as you...come to me."

It was just what he needed to hear. It had been so long for him that he almost wept as he moved over her.

He kissed her forehead and paused for just a moment as he let Leah go.

"For me, this is a lot more than sex. I want you to know that."

"I know that, Merle."

"You really feel it too?"

"I can feel it," she smiled, as she reached up to touch his face. "We're supposed to be together."

He smiled and soon he was melding himself with her, and his heart erupted in such a beautiful way.

He thrust into her exactly the way a man would after seven years and she grinned at his over enthusiasm.

"Excited, are we?" she teased half way through.

"Jesus, sorry....yeah, I am."

"I'm only teasing. Give it to me, Merle...I like it," she giggled.

He let loose and fucked her hard, and she moaned in approval as she scratched her nails down his back. He felt like a real man for the first time in years, and it was amazing. No more jerking off silently in the dark with his bedroom door locked, he was actually fucking a woman. Not just any woman either, a woman he could easily see himself marrying.

She was warm and soft and yielding; she was his.

He moved into her smoothly, and the way she moaned with him inside her made his blood boil. He felt excited in a way he hadn't in years, and it didn't last long.

Within 5 minutes he was growling and holding her head in the crook of his arm and apologizing, but she didn't want to hear any of it.

"Baby, it was perfect. Don't say sorry."

By the time he pulled up outside his own home for her to pick up Brady, he was sure it was written all over his face that he'd just had sex.

"Merle, I had a really good time. I'm not normally the type to-"

"Hey, you don't need to explain anything. I was as much a part of this as you," he grinned. "I feel so much for you that I'm a little scared to even tell you."

"Me too," she said softly. "You're exactly who I need in my life."

Merle leaned in to kiss her before the bubble burst and in that moment he realized that he'd beg her to stay with him if he needed to, he had no pride when it came to her.

/

When Andrea and Brady went home, he was left with Sophia, and he could tell that she knew something was up.

"So, it's serious, huh?"

"Yes...it's really serious."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 11** _

  
"How was everything last night?" Daryl asked as soon as he woke up the next morning.

Merle hadn't been expecting Daryl to call before he was even out of bed.

"It was amazing," he grinned.

Merle wasn't the type to kiss and tell, but he hoped that Daryl would get the idea without him saying it.

"That good, huh? You devil!" Daryl laughed.

"I'm crazy for this woman, Daryl. She's the one I'm supposed to be with, I can feel it."

"I'm happy for you, man. It's about damn time!"

"It's awesome; everything is perfect now."

"Hang on to her then," Daryl chuckled.

"I ain't lettin' go for nothing, brother," he insisted.

Merle went off to work after dropping off Simone, and everything was just right with the world. He and Simone had a whole new life ahead of them.

/

Andrea walked to the playschool with Brady after deciding that he'd be happier spending the mornings with other children. She could get all of her work done in the morning, and he'd have some social interaction. He was a little ray of sunshine, and he loved to be around other children, she felt safe in Brookhaven and wanted to give him some freedom.

Ever since things went south with Phillip, she hadn't let Brady out of her sight, but she didn't want him growing up afraid to live.

Brady went off to play with the other children so that Andrea could speak privately with the teacher.

"I have a sensitive situation with Brady's father that I need to inform you of," she began.

"What's wrong, dear?" the older woman asked.

"His father is a dangerous person, and he is not allowed near us under any circumstances. I can't have anyone outside of the playschool knowing anything about Brady, no school lists, no pictures online...anything."

"Of course, we will do everything we can to keep him protected," the woman assured her, and she smiled as she looked over at him already making friends. "Did you want to start him here today? You can pick him up at noon if you like."

"I'll check with him that he's comfortable to stay and if he is I'll come back for him right at noon...thank you for understanding."

"No problem, these things happen in life, dear."

Brady was excited to stay so Andrea walked back to her house to work while he was having fun, but it was hard to concentrate on her first morning without him. The minutes passed slowly, and she stared at her computer screen trying not to think of Brady. 

  
  


_**~ I will survive Brady going to playschool, right?** _

  
  


Merle picked up his phone, set his coffee down and grinned when he saw her name.

  
  


_**~ It's brutal, I know. I used to drive past Simone's school all the time. You'll be OK, I promise.** _

_**~ I miss you** _

_**~ I've been thinking of you all day:)** _

_**~ Can I see you later?** _

_**~ sure, did you and Brady wanna come over for a BBQ?** _

_**~ a man who cooks! Sounds wonderful** _

_**~ come over any time you're ready** _

_**~ I can't stop thinking of yesterday;)** _

_**~ Me neither, you're incredible xoxox** _

_**~ see you later xo** _

_**~ can't wait** _

  
  


He set his phone down and caught Amy staring at him.

"You look happy," she grinned.

"Very happy, I can't stop smiling these days."

"You're making my sister very happy too...she deserves that after everything she's been through," Amy sighed.

"I'm not going to hurt her at all; I want you to know that."

"I already know that, Merle. I trust you."

/

Merle picked up Simone after school and took her to the grocery store to pick up meat for the BBQ.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"How can I tell if a boy likes me?"

"Huh?"

Merle looked down at his daughter and frowned. Was this the boy talk already?

"I think Carmine might like me, but I can't tell."

"That boy in your class with the glasses?" Merle asked.

"That's him."

"Do you like him?"

She fidgeted with the strap of her backpack and shrugged her shoulders, and he knew that look.

"You do," he smiled. "What's he acting like?"

"He stole my notebook from my desk and drew pictures of hearts in it and a picture of that singer I like...he's really good at drawing."

"Sounds to me like he does like you, honey."

"Can I ride bikes with him tomorrow?" she asked, not looking him in the eye.

"As long as you stay in the neighborhood and don't come back married," he chuckled.

"You're not mad?"

"No, honey. It's a nice thing when you have your first crush and I ain't about to ruin that for you. Do you have any questions?"

"How old were you when you kissed a girl for the first time?"

Merle was walking slow and dropping things into the cart with a smile on his face; he was glad she was able to talk to him about this stuff.

"It's a sad story," he laughed.

"Tell me."

Merle was picking a watermelon mindlessly as he recalled the tale.

"I went to this boy/girl party when I was 12, and the girls decided to play spin the bottle. I liked a girl named Lauren, and I was so excited when the bottle landed on her the very first spin."

"So you got to kiss the girl you liked?" Simone smiled.

"Nope. She refused to go through with it, and I almost cried in front of all my friends."

"That's terrible."

"I got up to leave, and this other girl walked home with me cause I think she felt sorry for me, she's the one who kissed me."

"That's nice anyway."

"It was really nice. You should always be careful with your heart, honey, but love and crushes are a really good part of being alive."

They loaded up on BBQ food and went home to get everything started.

Merle turned on the patio lanterns, lit some citronella candles and waited for Andrea and Brady.

When they arrived with a bottle of lemonade, a box of fireworks, and a brand new puppy, Merle couldn't help feeling like they were going to be a family sooner than later.

"His name is Scout!" Brady informed them all.

The German Shepard pup was yipping and bouncing all over the yard, and Andrea explained that she didn't have the heart to leave it home alone.

"We just picked him up at the shelter, and he whines if we leave the room," she laughed.

"Nice dog, Brady!" Merle grinned. "You picked a good one!"

"Thanks! I'm gonna teach him tricks!" the boy squealed.

The sunset and everything was peaceful and perfect.

Merle chased the kids and Scout around the yard and made Brady laugh so hard he got the hiccups. Andrea discussed art with Simone and told her about a trip she'd taken to Europe in university. Merle could see that his little girl was getting inspired to see the world, although he couldn't imagine her ever leaving him behind in Brookhaven.

The kids ended up spending the end of the evening inside the house watching a movie, so Merle took the chance to cuddle up to Andrea in the backyard.

"You look so pretty, honey..." he whispered, moving his face into her neck to kiss her skin.

"Are you trying to get jumped?" she purred.

"Yes...I need you. When can I have you again?"

"Brady is at playschool now, from 8:45 - noon."

"I could go into work late...maybe I could stop by your place?" he continued, snaking his arm around her waist and licking her earlobe softly.

"You have to...I'm going to explode if I can't have you again soon."

Merle grinned to himself and pulled her close.

"You're irresistible," he said softly, kissing her neck in the moonlight.

When Andrea went home with Brady, Merle spent some time with Simone and was excited to hear that she and Brady were getting along fine. All of the pieces fit.

Simone went off to bed to read but he was excited to see that everything was the same between them, she was acting the same as always with him.

Merle took off his clothes before crawling into bed and held onto Leah's wedding ring in the dark. He was saving the ring for Simone; he hoped that one day he could give it to the man who asked to propose to her.

If the day did come that he proposed to Andrea, he'd buy a brand new ring just for her. He couldn't believe he was already thinking such a thing but then remembered how quickly and completely he'd fallen for Leah. Merle was just the kind of man who knew his own heart, and his heart wanted Andrea. 

  
  


 

  
  


 

  
  


 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

_**A Family of Two – Chapter 12** _

 

"Dad! Wake up!" Simone called from the kitchen and Merle could already smell coffee brewing.

"Sorry, babe, I'm gettin' up!"

Merle rolled out of bed, washed up quickly, and put on some more of the cologne Andrea liked. He was excited to meet her that morning, and as he got ready, he received a text from her that made him grin.

_**~ I can't wait to see you;) Be warned, you may just get jumped! xo** _

_**~ promise? ;) XXX** _

When he made it out to the kitchen, Simone was buttering toast and pouring him coffee as he zipped up his coveralls. Merle texted his boss that he'd be in at 10:30 instead of 9 and he didn't seem concerned about it. Abraham was pretty casual with Merle; he always got everything done, so Abe never fussed.

"What would I ever do without you?" he smiled, patting her shoulder as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"You'd have to wake up earlier," she laughed.

"So you're going on your bike ride after school today?" he asked.

"Yep! I'll be home by 5."

"Is your cell phone charged?" he checked.

"Of course."

"I'll be home if your plans fall through, and call me if you need anything, OK?"

"I will, I promise."

They finished breakfast, and Merle drove her to school. Simone ran over to Sophia and Carmine, who was reading a comic book and adjusting his glasses on his nose. Merle had known Carmine since he and Simone were in kindergarten and hadn't heard more than a handful of words from the kid in all those years. Carmine was a quiet, unassuming nerd and it didn't surprise Merle at all that he was the one Simone liked. Simone was always a friend to the misunderstood; she was the kind of girl who could get anyone to open up, just like Leah had been for him years before. Carmine reminded him of himself in a lot of ways, a little clueless and not great with girls. Leah had seen that and pulled him into the relationship easily, Andrea was currently doing the same.

Next, Merle drove directly to Andrea's place, and when he pulled up outside in his shitty truck, he couldn't wait to touch her. He knocked on the door and was greeted by her standing in the doorway in a pair of leggings and a tank top that hugged her curves nice and tight.

The look on her face was one of absolute lust, and it threw him off what little game he had.

"Holy hell!" he gasped as she reached for him and yanked him in through the door.

"I promise we'll do this nice and slow someday soon, but I need you fast right now," she purred, and he'd never felt so masculine in all his life.

A beautiful woman greeting him at the door and demanding his body was not something he was accustomed to, but he loved it.

He was pulled into her orbit and wrapped his arms around her before he could even get his bearings. Merle was fired up in a heartbeat and lifted her up into his arms, holding her up with his hands under her ass as she filled his mouth with her eager tongue.

She reached down to pull the tank top over her head, and he grinned at how crazy she was and how much he liked it.

The black bra that remained had to go, and he needed to get some clothes off too. Merle held her against the living room wall and kept her up with his weight pressing against her body. He stripped her bra off with just one hand and was impressed with himself for that.

She let her head fall back as he bowed his head down to taste her skin and lick her breasts.

"You're hot as hell, woman!" he panted, thrusting against her and hoisting her up higher.

Merle wondered where he was supposed to lay her down but she had other ideas for him when he lowered her to the ground, and she pulled him to the couch aggressively.

Andrea yanked his coveralls off and lifted his undershirt to kiss his chest and belly as she knelt down between his knees.

"Damn!" he moaned, touching her soft hair as she moved lower and lower.

She slid her hand up the leg of his boxers and ran her warm, soft fingertips over his dick, leaving him weak and breathless.

"Don't take your eyes off me, baby," she whispered as she slid the boxers down and took him with her warm insistent hand.

"Jesus!" he cried out at the sight of it.

She began to lick up and down the length of his dick; watching her wet tongue was mesmerizing. By the time she brought her mouth down over his cock, he was in desperate need of resolution. She couldn't take him all, so she used her hand as well, and it felt like heaven to him. Seven years without a blowjob was a feat in itself.

"Someone has told you that you have a huge dick, right?" she grinned, looking up into his eyes.

"Uh...no?"

"You're kidding! You are well above average."

"It's news to me," he shrugged and then she went right back to pleasing him out of his mind.

He took it all in with a sense of sweet intoxication and watched her perfect mouth bringing him to the edge. It was the watching part especially that was making it so tricky to hang on.

"I need you now," he groaned, touching her shoulder to stop her when he could feel the end catching up to him.

Andrea stood up slowly and slid the tight leggings and her lace panties down her legs, and he groaned in agonizing need.

She asked him to grab a condom, and before he knew it, she was sliding herself down on him right there on the couch and groaning in ecstasy.

"Oh fuck yes! Merle....I can feel you everywhere, baby...you're so good....you're so damn hot," she whined.

It wasn't even like this with Leah, and he felt a little guilty when he had to admit that it was actually a little better. He knew he'd feel like a jackass for thinking such a thing; maybe it was also partly that he hadn't been touched in almost a decade.

Andrea was hungry for him like she'd never get enough and she rode him like he was the king of the universe. He held her close and bit at her bare white throat, grabbing her ass hard with both hands, pulling her down harder and faster.

"That's right...just like that," she growled. "I'm right there."

Merle could feel her moving with more intensity, and he knew she was close. Andrea came hard and loud moments later and he could feel her core squeezing the life out of his cock. He picked her up then and lay her on the couch to really take it home.

Merle thrust in nice full circles, not missing a beat as he sucked her breasts into his mouth and nailed her like the end of the world was coming. Morning light spilled in through the lace curtains in the living room and enveloped them in a warm sunbeam; it was magical.

Looking down at her beautiful face was otherworldly, and it felt like love to him, although he shied away from saying it too fast. There was no rush, and he'd tell her when the time was right. In the moment, he was so contented that the details were unimportant.

Andrea moaned beneath him and looked into his eyes like he was all she ever wanted and the release that followed felt like it was binding them to one another.

/

The moments after it ended were sweet and wonderful. She pulled him close like she'd never let him go, and his heart felt safe with her. Merle smiled and kissed the top of her head, snuggling up tight for another 5 minutes of peace.

She had jumped him so fast when he got there that he even had time to get washed up and have a quick cup of coffee before heading off to work.

"I don't want you to think I only want your body," she said softly.

"That's good, cause I want everything from you and I want to give you everything I have right back."

The smile that spread across her lips showed him she was right there with him; it was a beautiful morning.

Eventually, he went back to work, but she said she'd call him that evening when the kids were in bed; he loved their late night chats.

/

Daryl came over that evening with Carol and Sophia, and the girls talked in the backyard about Simone's little 'boyfriend.'

"These two are growing up too fast," Carol sighed as Merle handed her a beer

"I know. It's pretty cute, though. You should have seen how starry eyed she was when she came in after that bike ride," Merle laughed.

"She's not the only one in love though is she?" Carol winked.

"Nope! It finally happened, I actually found someone."

"You gonna get her moved in here and propose now?" Daryl teased, smacking him on the back in congratulatory cheer.

"As soon as I think she'll say yes, I will," he laughed.

Life was sweet and full of promise; Merle couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring.

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just shows the four of them interacting as Merle and Andrea become closer.  
> Simone is happy with her father's new relationship but also confused by the change and the way she is feeling about Andrea and Brady. Simone never expected to have a mother figure around, and it raises questions for her about how she should feel and gets her thinking about her birth mother.  
> The song in this chapter is 'Better Together' by Jack Johnson:) It's a seriously sweet song that I listened to a lot while writing this story.  
> Thanks for reading, Teagan XOXO

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 13*** _

 

“No, Scout! No no no no! Shit!” Andrea whined, scooping up the puppy and running with him to the door.

Her linoleum had been leaked upon regularly since Scout joined their family and Brady laughed himself silly every time it happened.

“We need to get this pup out of the house for a bit,” she groaned as she grabbed the paper towel and disinfectant.

“Can we take him to the park?” Brady asked. “Can Simone come?”

Andrea checked the clock; 6 pm. Simone would be home from school and Merle would be home from work.

“I'll call them and see if they can come,” she smiled.

Brady looked excited and ran out to the backyard to play with Scout.

“Hello?” Merle answered on the first ring.

“Hey, how was your day?” she asked.

“Pretty good, Simone got an A+ on a test, so I'm gonna take her for a root beer float.”

“Oh, that's nice! Tell her congrats from me.”

“I will. What are you up to?”

“I was actually wondering if you both wanted to meet us at the park to try and burn some energy off of this puppy.”

“Just a sec.”

She could hear Merle asking Simone, and she loved that he didn't just drag her into things.

“She says sure,” he answered. “We'll meet you there in half an hour after we stop by the A&W.”

“Perfect. We'll meet you near the band shell.”

A father who took his little girl for floats for good grades was enough to make her ovaries explode. Merle was hot like fire and such an amazing father to boot that she still couldn't get her head around him being single after so many years.

/

Brady chased Scout in circles for the next twenty minutes at the park and played tug-of-war with a rope toy. Andrea watched him with hope in her heart for a peaceful future; maybe all the misery was finally behind them.

Things with Merle were going perfectly and as the days past she was more and more sure that he was the one.

Merle and Simone arrived soon after, and Simone had to sit at the picnic table to digest the large float.

“Ugh! I'm stuffed!” she giggled.

“Rootbeer floats are the best,” Andrea winked.

“Bet you can't catch me!” Brady hollered to Merle.

Andrea loved how quickly Brady had taken to him. Brady was looking for a father figure, and she couldn't think of a better one than Merle.

“I bet I can't either,” Merle groaned. “I ain't the runner in the family, that's Simone.”

He still chased after the boy, though, and Andrea smiled at how good he was with children. She couldn't help thinking of them having one together.

“I hear you got an A+,” Andrea praised.

“Yep! I love math,” she smiled.

“I never was very good at math, I just loved art and reading,” Andrea sighed.

They watched as Merle growled and chased Brady around the grass with Scout on his heels.

“You have a great dad,” Andrea said, trying to start a deeper conversation with her.

“He's the best,” Simone agreed. “I got really lucky when God was handing out dads. I don't know what I'd ever do without him.”

“Thank you for sharing him with Brady and me,” Andrea said softly.

“I want him to be happy, and you make him happy.”

“Not all girls your age would be this mature, Simone. You're special.”

“Yeah?” Simone blushed.

“Very special.”

/

When Simone was ready to move, she got down on all fours with Brady to try and teach the pup to roll over, sit, or stay with limited success.

Merle sat next to Andrea as the sun began to set and sighed at the scene before him. Simone was laughing and tickling Brady; he loved the sound of her laughing.

Andrea took his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder, and everything felt right.

Merle played some music on his phone and the evening moved peacefully along.

“I love this song,” Andrea smiled as he played Jack Johnson on his iPhone.

He had sent her that particular song the night before.

“Me too...makes me think of you.”

  
  


__**There's no combination of words  
** I could put on the back of a postcard  
No song that I could sing  
But I can try for your heart  
Our dreams,  
And they are made out of real things  
Like a shoebox of photographs  
With sepia-toned loving  
  
Love is the answer  
At least for most of the questions in my heart.  
Like: "Why are we here?", "And where do we go?",  
"And how come it's so hard?".  
It's not always easy,  
And sometimes life can be deceiving  
I'll tell you one thing:  
It's always better when we're together 

  
  


Merle was making a habit of sending her songs, and she found it so romantic. She'd be in the middle of grocery shopping or laundry, and there would be a text with a sweet love song from Merle via iTunes.

Andrea listened to the words of the song, and she had to say it, she had to tell him what was in her heart.

“Merle?”

“Yeah?”

He looked at her then, and the sun was setting just over his right shoulder, he looked so handsome.

“I love you.”

A smile grew across his face, and his eyes lit up.

“You do?”

“Yes, I know it's only been a little while, but I know how I feel about you.”

“I love you too,” he answered simply. “It probably sounds nuts but...I knew you were the one from the first night we met.”

The things he'd say sometimes could tear her in two in such a good way. Merle was completely honest, and she'd never known anyone like him. He wore his heart right on his sleeve, and it was so refreshing to meet someone who wasn't afraid to just tell the truth.

She pulled him close and kissed him as the sun slipped below the horizon and it was perfect, he was perfect.

The children were looking at them with baffled expressions when they stopped, and Andrea laughed herself silly.

“Grown-ups!” Simone groaned, rolling her eyes in an attempt to get Brady to smile and he agreed instantly.

“Grown-ups are crazy!” he laughed.

/

Simone stayed up to watch TV that evening with him, and he noticed that she was being quieter than normal.

"You OK?" he asked, nudging her leg with his hand.

"Yeah," she answered, not looking away from the TV.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, still unconvinced that she was OK.

"I can't really remember mom anymore," she said, and he could hear her voice about to break.

"Awww, honey, come here," he said, pulling her into his arms.

She sobbed softly, and he hated it, hearing Simone cry was the worst.

"I used to be able to remember her voice and the way she smelled and I can't anymore."

Merle just held her as she continued to cry, but he had an idea.

"Just a second, stay right there," he said when she was starting to regain her composure.

Merle went to his room and dug out the box of Leah's things in the closet. He never brought these things out because it hurt him to look at them but he couldn't throw them away either. He had pictures of her in albums around the house but much of her things he couldn't bear to see all the time.

When he got back to the living room, Simone looked baffled.

"What's that?" she asked as he placed the box on the table.

"Here," he said, handing her a sweater from inside the box.

"Oh my God," she sighed. "This was hers...I saw a picture of her in it."

"Smell it," he smiled.

It still smelled like Vanilla perfume; Merle knew that because he used to smell it from time to time as well.

Merle grabbed his laptop and slid an SD card from the box into the slot to show Simone the clips of wedding video he kept even though he knew it would drive him crazy to hear her voice.

Simone sat next to him with the sweater in her lap and watched her parent's wedding on the laptop screen.

"There's even some video from when you were a baby," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

"I look like her," she said, staring at the screen.

"You look just like her," he agreed. "Your voice sounds like hers too."

"It feels like I'm betraying my mother because I like Andrea and Brady," she confessed.

"You aren't. Your mother wouldn't want you to spend your life closed off from other people."

"What about you?" she asked.

"Even me. It took me a long time to feel like I wasn't cheating on her, even though she's gone, but I know she wouldn't want me to be lonely."

"Thanks for this," Simone smiled, holding the sweater in her hands and smelling it again.

"If you want to you can look through everything in that box, it's just some personal stuff of hers."

"Thanks."

They talked for a while longer, and he carried the box to her room so she could check out Leah's poems, CDs, drawings and all of the nick nacks he couldn't bear to let go of.

Merle still felt sad when it came to the idea that Simone didn't have her mother anymore, seeing his daughter sad would never feel normal, but he felt more at peace with losing Leah now.

If she had lived, he would have loved Leah till the day he died, but it just wasn't to be. Now he had a chance at love again, and he could think of Leah without the same level of pain.

His past was Leah, and his future was Andrea, and the future looked bright.

  
  


  
  


  
  


 

  
  


 

  
  


 

  
  


 


	14. Chapter 14

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 14**_

Things continued to go smoothly for the rest of the week, and Merle loved having a taste of what Daryl and Carol had. Watching them over the years hadn't been easy. Daryl and Carol were a match made in heaven, they never fought and weren't shy about showing physical affection. There had even been times that he found it hard to be around them back in the beginning.

Daryl and Carol came over one evening to hang out and let the girls play in the backyard, and he knew they could see how much happier he was already.

"Sophia says Simone really likes Andrea and Brady," Carol began.

"It's really something," Merle smiled. "It's like our little families fit perfectly together. I never wanted to find someone just for me, I wanted someone for Simone too."

"You could end up with a step-son while you're at it too," Daryl grinned.

"That kid is just the cutest," Merle laughed, "and considering everything he's been through, he seems to like me OK. He deserves to have a proper dad."

/

"So she's nice, huh?" Sophia asked as Simone pushed her on the tire swing.

"I like her, and she's crazy about my dad."

"What about her kid?"

"Brady's fine, he's just a little guy. He follows me around and asks a hundred questions," Simone laughed.

"You said his dad is a criminal, though."

"That's what my dad said."

"It's good that Uncle Merle has a girlfriend now, he looks happier."

"He is, he sings around the house again like he used to before my mom died. I forgot that he even did that," Simone laughed.

"I can't picture Uncle Merle singing," Sophia grinned.

"It's hilarious, he sings love songs while he's cooking and screws up all the words."

The girls both laughed themselves silly as stars began to fill the sky and crickets chirped.

/

It was a warm and quiet evening, so Merle wasn't expecting any trouble until he received a call out of the blue from Amy.

"Has  Andrea called you?" she asked.

"No, why? What's the matter?"

"Her house was vandalized...she's sure it has to be him."

"Jesus! I'll be right there. Why didn't she call me?"

"Knowing her,  she's  trying to deal with it alone. She doesn't want this to be a problem for you.  I'm going over there right now."

"I'll be right over  too, I need to make sure they're safe."

Merle hung up the phone and grabbed his coat.

"Could you guys stay here with Simone for an hour? Something happened over at Andrea's place, and I need to check it out. Looks like her ex-husband found her."

"Should I come along?" Daryl asked.

"Maybe you should.  Do you mind, Carol?"

"Go for it, just be careful you two," she said.

"We will be, don't mention what it's about to Simone yet, please."

"Good idea," Carol said.

Merle stopped in the back to tell Simone he'd be right back and took off with Daryl.

/

When they arrived,  Andrea was in the backyard prying open a can of paint to cover up a filthy word scrawled across her fence.

"Hey, Andrea," he said approaching her and Amy.

"Did you call him?" Andrea asked her sister.

"He should know about this, Sis."

Andrea sighed and looked at both Merle and Daryl, she looked humiliated.

"At least Brady is in bed, I'd hate for him to see me like this," Andrea said shaking her head and looking at the graffiti.

Her white fence had been spray painted with the word  'Whore, '  and she pulled out a brush to cover it up with white paint.

Merle took the brush from her and insisted he'd do it but first he wanted to hug her. Andrea broke down in his arms, and he wanted to kill her ex-husband for everything he'd done to her.

"Honey, you need to let me know when something like this happens."

"Merle, this is not your problem...you have your own life  to think of. It's bad enough Brady has this going on in his life, Simone doesn't need  it too."

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed.

Tears were welling up in Andrea's eyes, and Merle asked Amy to take her inside while he painted the fence with Daryl.

/

"This is bullshit!" Amy growled. "I can't believe that son of a bitch is trying to mess with your life here! You need to call the police, Andrea."

"You know that won't do any good, Amy."

"It's a different police force here, surely that'll make a difference."

"They'll just contact Atlanta PD, and I'll be in the same boat as before."

"So what are you going to do then?" Amy asked, exasperated by Andrea's refusal to be proactive.

"I don't know, but I can't hurt that man," she said, staring out the window at Merle.

"You're not thinking of  ending it, are you?"

"What if something happened to him? How the hell would I live with myself?  Phillip obviously knows  I met someone  or he wouldn't have written that word, that means Merle is at risk."

"Merle is the best thing to ever happen to you besides Brady," Amy warned.

"That's exactly why I can't let him get hurt. Phillip has guns and an angry temper...Merle is Simone's whole world."

"Who's  going to protect you two then?"

"It's not his obligation to protect us, Amy."

"He wants to keep you safe. Why not even allow him that option?"

“Because I love him.”

/

Merle and Daryl got the fence painted, but it took three coats of paint to cover it up.

"I'm gonna kill this prick!" Merle growled.

"It's creepy, man. This guy  must be watching her."

"She's not safe, and I'm not gonna stand for it," Merle insisted.

"So what's the plan?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know," Merle sighed as Scout ran around the yard in circles yipping like a fool.

Merle was starting to think Andrea should have adopted a big, mean guard dog instead.  When they were finished the fence, Merle came back inside to see how she was doing.

"It's all covered up, honey," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

"I better get back to your place to pick up Carol and Sophia," Daryl said.

"I'll be right with you, Daryl," Merle nodded. "Is Amy staying with you tonight?"

"Yes. Can you call me when Simone goes to bed? We need to talk," Andrea asked, and it made him nervous right away.

"Sure. You be careful tonight, OK? I'll call you in a bit."

Andrea nodded and kissed him once more before he left knowing that sometimes the right thing to do was also incredibly painful.

  


 


	15. Chapter 15

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 15** _

  
  


"Everything OK?" Simone asked as soon as he walked in the door.

Merle couldn't hide anything from her, but this time he had to keep it to himself till he knew better what was going on.

"Not really, honey. I'll tell you more about it as soon as I can, OK? It's nothing you need to worry about."

"OK, Dad," she smiled.

Merle said goodnight to Daryl, Carol and Sophia and Simone quickly wandered off to bed. She knew when to come closer and when he needed time alone to think. So many years with only the two of them together had left them deeply in tune with each other's moods.

He poured himself a tall scotch before calling Andrea; something told him he'd need it.

Andrea answered on the first ring as if she was sitting right next to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, honey. You feel better now?" he asked, desperate to keep it all light.

"No...and honestly I don't think it's going to be OK now. This will only be the beginning of trouble."

"Then we need to do something about it, Andrea. We can't just let him terrorize you, right?"

"He has so much more control than you know...I never thought he'd find me here. I still don't know how he did."

"Just tell me what to do, honey, and I'll do it."

"Merle...I think we should take a break."

"Don't say that, honey, we can work through this."

"Merle...you have a daughter that you need to think of before Brady and me. Phillip is insane; you'll be in danger if you're with me," she sighed.

"That's exactly why I should stay around to protect you!" Merle exclaimed.

He could feel it all slipping through his hands and desperation was seeping in. 

"The reason he wants to hurt me is because I'm with someone, I don't know what else I can do to be sure you and Simone are safe."

"I thought you were happy? It was working so well, wasn't it?"

"I am happy, meeting you was such a blessing for me. I don't want it this way...but I don't have the right to put you and Simone in danger. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to either of you."

"But-"

"This is the way it has to be...at least for now."

"Can't we talk about this some more? I don't wanna be without you, Andrea."

"I don't want that either."

"So now I just sit around and panic about you?"

"Merle...I don't have any answers right now."

Merle could feel himself getting choked up and sensed a dark cloud forming overhead.

"Please don't do this, Andrea. I love you."

"I love you, too...that's why I need to keep you and Simone safe. I never meant to hurt you, Merle. I'm so sorry."

She said goodbye then, and he didn't get a chance to beg again because she hung up the phone.

/

Simone walked out to the living room and found her father staring at the TV the next morning like he was in a coma, he looked miserable. It didn't even look like he'd slept.

"Dad?"

"Hey, honey."

"Are you OK?"

"I'm sad," he admitted. "Andrea says she needs a break."

"A break?"

"A break from me...her ex is causing problems. That's what was going on last night."

Simone came to sit next to him on the couch and pulled his arm around her.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"This hurts like hell," he said, tearing up and not even trying to hide it.

"You know you'll work this out, right?"

"You think so?"

"Of course you will, she loves you."

"I was just sitting here wondering if she really did after all."

"She does, I can tell."

"I'm such a fool," he sighed. "I thought this was finally it for me."

Simone handed him a box of tissues, and he let himself cry a little, he knew that Simone would understand. They had cried together a lot back in the day.

She rested her head on his shoulder to stare at the TV mindlessly with him. When he was hurting, so was she.

/

Merle went for a drive that evening to pick up ice cream for Simone, and couldn't resist stopping outside Andrea's house.

Being away from her was so painful that nothing felt right anymore. The lights were on in her living room, and he imagined her on the couch reading to Brady, he wondered if she was thinking about him too. He had imagined them having a baby together already and here was this ex-husband keeping them apart.

Something had to be done and in that moment he knew exactly what he needed to do. Merle wasn't about to let a man terrorize the woman he loved when he could take care of it himself. Merle knew his name and figured that maybe Carol would be willing to help him out, maybe Amy would too.

/

The next day he took Simone to school and called Carol from work to see if there was any chance she'd help him out. She worked at the DMV and had access to names and addresses. 

"Merle, hey!" she said, and he could hear her typing.

"How's my all time favorite sister-in-law?"

"OK, what do you want?"

"Can I get an address?"

"What? You know I can't do that?"

"Please, I just want to deal with this creep whose bothering Andrea?"

"Merle..."

"I don't know what else to do...she won't see me now because she thinks it'll put me and Simone in danger."

"Maybe she's right; maybe you shouldn't mess with this nutcase."

"Carol...I need her so bad. I might not ever meet someone who makes me feel this way again; it took me seven years to find her."

"If something happens to you I'll blame myself forever."

"I'll go hunt him down myself if you don't give me the address, you're just saving me time."

Carol relented and gave him the address in Atlanta where he could find Phillip Blake, and he asked her to take Simone for the weekend so he could try to deal with it once and for all.

"Please, tell me you know what you're doing," she sighed.

"I know what I'm doing, Carol, I swear."

"You need to talk to Daryl about this too."

"I'll call him later, I promise. Thanks for this."

"Don't you dare make me regret this."

Merle began to lay out his plan to deal with the ex and imagined everything going right, he had to think positively when it was so risky..

/

Andrea was stood, staring into space in the kitchen when her phone buzzed and she winced at the notification of a text from Merle. He had sent her a short message and the link to another song. She knew that whatever song he'd sent was going to be rough to listen to and she was so right about that.

  
  


_**~ I'm not giving up until you say you don't want me (which you're free to do if that's how you feel).  I can't stop believing you're the one for me and I hope you still feel that way too. I love you, and I miss you so much already. Merle xo** _

  
  


She hit play on the song he sent her and proceeded to lose it in the middle of her kitchen.

  
  


__**Do you wanna know  
If everything glittering  
Will turn into the gold  
I see in your hair?  
I feel it could be there  
Somehow tonight  
  
And do you want to fight  
Something worth saving?  
The change would do me right  
Cause I've been just waiting  
And hesitating  
With this heart of mine  
  
You're still a mystery  
But there's something so easy  
In how you're sweet to me  
I feel completed  
Like it's something I needed  
For this heart of mine  
  
There's always something so tragic  
About a hopeless romantic  
  
So though we cannot know  
If everything glittering  
Will turn into the gold  
I'm through with waiting  
And hesitating  
I want you taking  
This heart of mine  
**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Andrea comes across as a little heartless right now but she is genuinely terrified of Phillip and believes that he will try to hurt Merle and/or Simone. She is keeping her distance out of love and concern, also, if everyone did everything right in stories it would be boring. lol   
> Merle is about to go into beast mode and will hatch a plan to deal with Phillip once and for all:)  
> The song in this chapter is 'Heart of Mine' by Peter Salett (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SONG) and it is a really sweet and kinda angsty song that just fit perfectly here:) Merle is a complete honey and tries to get to her heart with songs because he is romantic and perfect:) lol


	16. Chapter 16

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 16*** _

 

Merle got a call from Amy that evening, and he was happy to hear from her; she seemed to be as upset as he was that Andrea had broken it off.

"Is she OK?" he asked. "I'm losing my mind worrying about her and Brady."

"Things are bad, but she's determined to shield you and Simone from it. That creep left a threatening message on her  voicemail, but he blocked the number and disguised his voice with an app."

"Jesus! This guy really is nuts," Merle shuddered.

"He's a monster," Amy sighed.

"What did the message say?"

"He says he was having her watched and if she doesn't stop sleeping with random men he'll come and take Brady from her."

"So he doesn't know who I am?" he asked.

"Doesn't look like it. The message said something along the lines of, ' _I don't know who you're fucking, but it better stop.'_ "

"I need to know what this creep looks like and where he hangs out," Merle said, hoping that she knew.

He did have his home address, but Merle preferred the idea of getting close without arousing suspicion at first. Since Phillip didn't know who he was, he felt it was a better option.

"Just Google him to see what he looks like, he's well known in Atlanta. Last I heard he hangs out at a bar called _Manuel's Tavern_ , that's what Andrea said anyway."

"Noted. Are you staying with her right now?" Merle asked. 

He was terrified that Andrea was alone.

"I'm not leaving her side until things cool down, I'm hiding in the basement just to call you. I don't know how much she told you, but I'm not letting anything happen to her after what he did before."

"She told me," he sighed. "I just can't stand being away from her and worrying about her this way."

"You're a good man, Merle. I'm going to try and talk some sense to her about this 'taking a break' bullshit."

"Thanks, Amy."

"You got it. Hang in there; she can be a little stubborn."

/

Merle didn't know who he was up against with this Phillip character, but he went to talk to Carol about his plans anyway.

"Merle, I know you really like this woman, but you need to be very careful," she warned.

"I'm in love with her, Carol, this isn't a choice."

"So you're just going to show up at this guy's door?" she asked.

"I know a bar where he hangs out; I'll just figure it out as I go. I'll be careful."

"That's not careful, that's insane."

"Well, what do I do then?" he sighed.

"Stay here and forget this whole thing."

"I have to do something, Carol, I can't just let this go."

"You're a madman."

Daryl called him later on and tried to talk him out of it as well, but he wasn't about to be dissuaded.

"Brother...you sure are taking a risk here."

"I know what I'm doing," he insisted.

"No, you don't, Merle. This guy sounds like a psycho to me."

"He is, and that's why someone has to step in and protect this woman."

Daryl wasn't getting anywhere fast, so he resigned himself to Merle's determined insanity.

/

Merle dropped Simone off that Friday evening for the weekend at Daryl and Carol's place. She would spend weekends with her cousin fairly often, so it wasn't out of the ordinary. He prayed that he'd be back in a day or so to pick her up and that everything would be fine. He prayed that he was doing the right thing.

Simone didn't ask questions, and he was grateful for that because he didn't want to lie to her or to make her worry.

"Don't be sad, Dad," she said, hugging him goodbye. "It's gonna be OK."

"I'll try to keep my head up, honey. You have fun with Sophia," he smiled.

She ran off to Sophia's room, and he received another lecture from Daryl, but nothing was about to stop him now. The wheels were already in motion, and he wasn't letting go without a fight.

Merle drove home to pack a duffle bag and texted Andrea again, even though she hadn't answered his previous message. He hoped to hear from her just once before embarking on his mission.

  
  


_**~ Still thinking of you and still missing you. I hope you'll change your mind and let me be a part of your life, Andrea. I don't just want the good things; I want to be there for all the bad things too. Finding you was something I never thought would happen for me and I'm going crazy without you. You don't have to answer; I just need you to know you're on my mind and that's not about to change. Merle xo** _

 

The more Merle thought about it, the more he figured that confrontation was not the way to deal with her ex., Phillip had the police in his back pocket anyway. He wondered as he drove to Atlanta if maybe he could catch him revealing information somehow. Maybe he could use some form of entrapment.

/

"I do want to call him, Amy."

"Then why don't you?"

"What if I got him injured or killed? How could I ever live with myself?"

"If he's prepared to take the risk then why aren't you?" Amy argued.

"That beautiful little girl already lost her mother and Merle is all she has. Phillip won't stop until he has ruined everything for me."

"You love him, though, right?"

"I love that man more than I even knew was possible, Amy. This is tearing me in two, and it's everything I can do not to run over there and kiss him...but it's wrong for me to dump my problems on him, that's not love."

Amy sighed and didn't know what else to say as she prayed that Merle would be safe in Atlanta. Andrea would kill her if she knew that Amy had assisted his madness in seeking out Phillip.

/

Merle pulled into Atlanta and found a cheap motel for the night. He pulled out his laptop and placed it on the desk in the corner of the dark room and went to work investigating how he could outsmart the creep. He thought of Simone and was determined to get back to her safe and sound as soon as possible. Stopping just one prick like Phillip felt like the right thing to do since he was a threat to all women, even if Merle wished he was with Simone instead of in Atlanta.

Merle Googled Phillip Blake and made notes on everything about him. He discovered that the man was a regular at _Manuel's Tavern_ where he shot  pool and threw darts. Merle didn't play darts, but he could clear a  pool table with ease, and maybe that would be the way to get to him.

Phillip Blake was tight with the mayor and was, for all intents and purposes, his right-hand man. The mayor was up for reelection in a few months, and Merle knew that if he could get some dirt on him, he could use his association with the mayor as blackmail.

An elected official wouldn't want anything to do with him if it could be proven that he raped and harassed his ex-wife.

Merle cracked a beer and continued to make notes until he was exhausted.

He couldn't help thinking that it seemed unfair to have to fight this hard just to have a girlfriend but Andrea was worth it.

This wasn't who he was; Merle was a small town single father not some kind of sleuth. Still, there was nobody else there to step up to the plate for her, so  he was happy to do it.

He wondered if his acting skills were up to snuff, he couldn't just be a forklift driver from Brookhaven if he wanted to get close to a guy who was so egomaniacal.

Merle flopped onto the cold, empty motel bed and closed his eyes with the memory of Andrea's touch in mind. He wanted to love her freely and if this was how it had to be then this is how it would be done.

 

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


 


	17. Chapter 17

  
  


_ **A Family of Two – Chapter 17** _

  
  


Merle had only been up for twenty  minutes  the next morning  and was making coffee in the miniature coffee maker when he got a phone call from Daryl.

Daryl had a change of heart the night before when he crawled into bed next to Carol and it dawned on him that Merle hadn't had that for 7 years. Merle slept alone, ate alone, spent holidays alone, and it really hit him then that Merle needed this. He knew what he had to do then and told Carol he'd be leaving first thing in the morning to help his brother.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Merle asked as he fumbled with the coffee filter.

"What shithole are you staying in?"

"Why?"

"I'm halfway to Atlanta and I'm gonna do this with you. I told Simone and Sophia we're having a guy's weekend of fishing and beer but Carol knows I'm coming obviously."

"Daryl-"

"Don't start, Merle. I'm your brother, and I'm not letting you do this alone."

"Thanks, I'm kinda freakin' out here."

Daryl arrived not long after and they discussed the plan over cheap continental breakfast.

"You need a decent shirt and a  sport  coat, and don't forget to  act like a smug misogynistic prick."

"Jesus!" Merle groaned.

"This man raped an unconscious woman, Merle. You gotta act like the kind of guy who's OK with that if you want him to talk, make him want to brag about it."

"This is going to be a shit evening," Merle sighed.

"Yep! It's gonna suck balls but it'll be worth it. What app  did you download  to record  this nightmare?" Daryl asked.

"Huh?"

"Gimme your phone," Daryl said holding out his hand for the phone.

Daryl proceeded to download an app that would record conversations and yet still be discreet.

"This'll work for the whole evening if you just turn it on before we go in and it won't make any sounds. It takes up fuck all for memory so you can leave it on the whole evening."

"I was just going to use the video recording thing on my phone," Merle mused.

"That would have used up all of your memory in less than 5 minutes," Daryl laughed. "Aren't you glad I'm here now?"

"I'm very glad you're here," Merle smiled.

"If we pull this  off then you won't have a damn thing to worry about, and Andrea will be all yours," Daryl grinned.

"I'm glad I'm not doing this alone."

"You do dumb as fuck shit, and I'll be right there, that's what brothers are for," he laughed.

"According to this asshole's Facebook, he's gonna be  shootin'  pool at _Manuel's Tavern_ tonight and then throwing a big party at his place after ," Merle informed him.

"Whadda you say we school the prick then?" Daryl chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan."

"He's no match for two Dixons, right?"

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Merle smirked.

"Taking down a piece of shit just sounds like fun, and I  don't get out much being a family man, I  like  a little excitement sometimes."

/

  
  


That evening, Daryl was dressed a little more casually in his leather jacket and jeans, but Merle was dressed up a little in hopes of playing the part.

 _Manuel's Tavern_ was a casual place but the clientele was still a little higher class, they were office guys still clinging to their college masculinity.   The place was packed with pampered and entitled dude-bros, not actual men at all.

Merle knew the type and he hated it already. He was also determined to keep his cool and play an asshole to get the info he wanted, that was the best revenge.

Merle grabbed a pool table and ordered a round as Daryl racked up the balls for the first game.

"Start the thing and leave it on the table there," Daryl said, referring to the app on his phone.

Merle nodded and did as he suggested before breaking the group of balls in the center of the table. He'd have to be on his best game before Phillip turned up, the idea was to get his attention and draw him into a conversation.

Daryl and Merle shot pool and chatted for an hour and a half before Phillip walked in with two of his friends.

"Shit," Merle hissed under his breath, knowing it was on now.

"Don't lose your nerve, man."

By sheer luck, Phillip ended up at the next table to them and to Merle's delight he was a nosy fucker. In no time he was commenting on their game and being a general loudmouth.

"Not bad, boys!" he exclaimed.

He mentioned that Merle could play for money.

"Sometimes do," he answered casually.

"Yeah? Right on," Phillip remarked. "You two from Atlanta?"

"Yep," Daryl answered. Thankfully, he knew Atlanta well enough to fake it.

"Never seen you here before," Phillip said to Merle. "I'm Phillip."

"I'm Daryl, that's Merle. We usually play at the Crooked Cue," Daryl jumped in, knowing Merle wasn't  as familiar with Atlanta bars.

"That's a pretty nice place," Phillip noted.

"It's not bad," Merle commented casually as he sank two more balls.

They all began to shoot the breeze and Merle decided to tell Phillip that he was an executive at the state's biggest building supply chain _Castle Builders_ ; it was something he could fake and he didn't expect Phillip to Google it or anything.

Phillip seemed impressed enough and even though Merle wanted to kill him, he kept his eyes on the prize. He was doing this for Andrea.

"Wanna play me when you're done this game?" Phillip asked. "I bet you $50; I can end your winning streak."

"Sure," Merle answered, not even looking at him.

 _Play it cool! Play it cool!_   He repeated it over and over in his mind. The truth was that his heart was racing and all he could think of was Andrea and what  this man had  done to her. Merle wanted him dead but couldn't let on that he hated him or even knew of him.

Merle finished up the game and Daryl went to the bar to grab another round.

"My bitch ex-wife never wanted me to bet on pool, but she ain't here so  I'm betting tonight," Phillip  laughed.

"You got a bitch ex-wife too?"  Merle began, trying to play a prick like it was normal to him.

"She was a doozy," Phillip laughed.

"Mine fucked around on  me," Merle grumbled.

Bitching about a woman who didn't even exist was weird and as Daryl came back and picked up on the conversation he felt self-conscious about the way he was speaking about women in general. Daryl had told him it was necessary and he saw that now, but it still felt ugly.

"My ex even whored it up while she was pregnant with my kid! What a piece of work that one was," Phillip laughed. "She's seeing how much life sucks without me to take care of her though now I bet."

"Does she want you back?" Merle asked, taking a sip of his drink and trying not to let on what he was really thinking.

"She wouldn't admit it but I'm sure she does. The idiot ran off to some bumfuck town and used our joint credit card for the moving van, I got eyes on her."

"I wouldn't even bother with my ex," Merle scoffed. "I'm done with her."

It was hard for Merle to stay focused on the game when he simultaneously wanted to kill and get information. Every time he thought he was going to snap he'd remember Andrea's face as she came and the sound of her moaning his name, he needed that back.

"Yeah, but this nutcase has my son and now she's bringing some random dude over to the house...she's not gonna get away with it. I'll just have to teach her a lesson like I did before," he laughed.

"Oh yeah? What kind of lesson was that?" Daryl asked, not even looking him in the eye like he couldn't care less if he answered.

"I shouldn't talk about it here," Phillip sneered. "You guys wanna come back to my place, I'm gonna have a real party going on over there."

Merle looked at Daryl apprehensively, but Daryl agreed to it right away.

"Why the fuck not? I gotta hear the rest of this story about your ex."

The game wrapped up and Phillip lost $50 to Merle, but he seemed determined to win it back. He gave them the address and Merle couldn't believe how easy it had been to get closer and to get invited.

"It's these shitty tables. Come play on my table at home, and I'll mop the floor with you," he insisted.

Phillip and his two buddies left first, and Merle and Daryl finished their drinks before leaving the bar. They needed a little time to think and to steel their nerves for the evening to come.

"This fucking sucks, Daryl," Merle groaned.

"He's gonna spill everything, just hang in there and we'll get what we need," Daryl insisted.

Merle knew Daryl was right and that they were well on their way to solving all of Andrea's problems, but it was still a dangerous and miserable experience just to be around Phillip.

The night was still young, and Merle dreaded all the ways it could fall apart as they moved on with the plan as intended.

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


 

 

 

  
  


 

  
  


 


	18. Chapter 18

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 18**_

  


"What are we doing?" Merle winced as he drove to Phillip's house.

"We're getting this done. He's about to spill everything, no worries," Daryl assured him.

"I need to get my shit together, but that guy makes me so fucking angry! Just the thought of his filthy hands on her-"

"I know, but you can't snap until you get real dirt on him. Try to get him to say his full name and then we need him to admit to some of the shit he pulled with Andrea, especially the break and enter and rape."

"I can't imagine even hearing about that without killing him," Merle grumbled. "I don't think I can just blackmail him. He's a danger to other women too, not just Andrea."

"Then we'll take it to the cops and see what they can do, but we need to get it first," Daryl reminded him.

Phillip's house was in a ritzy area of  Atlanta and far back from the main road. It looked like a house made entirely of glass with the biggest windows Daryl or Merle had ever seen. The driveway was packed with cars and music was thumping through the walls.  Merle couldn't  think of anywhere he wanted to be less, but this is what he needed to do for her.

"Just think, when you're done here you can walk up to her door like a knight with the beast's head on a platter," Daryl winked.

Merle sighed and followed him to the door.

They were let in by a woman in a black dress that left nothing to the imagination, and she asked if Phillip had invited them.

"Yep."

"Cool, he's downstairs. Grab a drink from the bar," she smiled before walking away.

The house was crowded and loud, and Merle could smell pot. A group of young women were snorting coke off a glass table in the living room, and he shuttered at how young they looked. Most of them looked younger than twenty-five and he found it very sad.

Merle and Daryl procured a drink and went down to the massive basement/mancave where Phillip was shooting pool on a huge and evidently expensive pool table.

"Hey!" Phillip shouted to them and waved them over. "This is the guy that just fucked me out of $50!"

A bunch of his dude-bro friends seemed intrigued, and Merle was instantly thrust into the spotlight where he began to regret everything.

"You gonna try and win it back?"  Merle grinned, and he became a different person in that moment. He needed answers, and he was going to get them if it killed him.

He handed his phone to Daryl with a knowing look as the app continued to record every sound. He needed someone to make sure the phone didn't get stolen and that it was able to catch all the conversations  or else the whole gig would be pointless.

"This is a real table, pal, you don't stand a chance," Phillip boasted.

"Rack 'em up then," Merle responded dryly as he selected a cue.

Phillip had one of the girls in the room rack up the balls and then smacked her ass as she took her seat on a barstool.

"You break," Phillip smiled.

Merle broke the group of balls and sank three right off the hop.

"Damn!" came the approval of Phillip's minions.

The game went fast and furious, and Merle found the better quality table even easier to kick his ass on.

The frustration was palpable in Phillip, and Merle wondered if he should let him win. In the end, he decided he needed respect to get answers. If he lost, he'd just be some guy, and what he needed to be was a man Phillip wanted to impress.

Daryl sat and watched Merle play, and a floozy cozied up to him who couldn't hold a candle to Carol. He disliked it, but he was playing a role, so he let it slide. There was no way he was actually doing anything sexual with another woman, and at this point, she was only flirting.

Merle felt kind of cocky and masculine in that moment with all eyes on him and the way he was dominating the man he hated so much.

Phillip upped the stakes like a complete moron, and suddenly they were playing for $100 instead of the $50 he wanted back in the first place.

By the time Merle sank the eight ball Phillip was seething, but he paid up.

"Fuck me sideways, Merle! You fuckin' did it!"

It was clear to see that he was pissy but also desperately trying not to look like a sore loser.

"Thanks," Merle nodded casually as a woman with red hair handed him another drink.

All of the women in Phillip's house looked like escorts, and it wasn't a look Merle was ever into. Women like that just looked like they were going to screw you over, not to mention that they were trashy looking.

Leah had been a pretty and innocent-looking girl-next-door type, and Andrea was fresh-faced and natural, those were the women that made him weak.

The party went on and on, and soon Merle found himself sitting next to Daryl and engaged in a boring conversation with Phillip about how well he knew the mayor and how much power he had. Merle held his phone in his hands now and decided to try and get his full name for formality.

"So every fucker in town knows your name or what?" Merle egged him on.

"You kidding? People know the name Phillip Blake clear across the state!"

Merle tried to look vaguely impressed and sipped his drink, but soon Phillip was being pulled to a downstairs bedroom by one of the 'escort' looking women.

"Great!" Merle huffed when he got Daryl into a quiet corner and away from the girl who was following him around.

"Just hang on till he's done...it ain't over till it's over," Daryl assured him.

"I need to get him talking about her again, and this place is so damned crowded," Merle groaned. "He'll never say it in front of all these people."

  


Patience paid off when the woman Phillip had been screwing sauntered up to the stairs and took a bunch of her girlfriends and some of the men with them.

The basement was quieter then as the upstairs still raged with sound and fury. It seemed Phillip was one of these men who just wanted people around him to feel important; Merle found it pathetic.

Phillip reemerged a few minutes later in track pants and a robe and began to brag about his sexual conquest.

"I see your ex didn't  scare you away from women," Merle chuckled, trying to get back on the subject.

"Yeah, I thought you said you had a payback story," Daryl added.

It was almost 3 am and Daryl was feeling exhausted, the thrill had long worn off.

"Right! That's a bad story though," he hedged.

"Come on," Merle urged. "I never got any revenge on the bitch who fucked me over, let me live vicariously through you...unless it's just a weak revenge story."

The last of the people in the basement walked up to where the real party was going on, and Merle started to think they were finally  going to get their wish.

"Weak?" Phillip laughed. "Get this, buddy! I broke into the bitch's place when she left me; she was staying in some shitty little apartment with my kid. It was a fucking dump! Brady was asleep, so I just decided to scare her a little when she was getting out of the shower."

"What the hell did you do?" Daryl pressed with feigned  interest.

They had to keep him talking; they were so damn close.

"I shouldn't fucking say this," Phillip sighed.

Merle looked him in the eye then and simply said, "Keep going."

"She screamed when she saw me, and I dropped her on her ass in the hallway. I put my hands on her throat...just to scare her,  but I was so fucking angry I must have squeezed too hard cause she passed out right there in the hall."

Phillip actually laughed then, and Merle used every ounce of his strength not to beat him to death. He had already made up his mind that beating the shit out of him was not the way to keep Andrea safe. Phillip would call the cops; he'd be charged with assault and Andrea would still have to live in fear.

"Jesus! That's some fuckin' revenge!" Daryl exclaimed.

"That isn't  even the worst of it," Phillip proceeded when he could see they weren't overly offended. "She was laying on the carpet with her towel falling off from the struggle, so  I decided to give her one."

"You gotta be kidding?" Merle smirked to disguise his rage. "You mean to say you actually fucked a woman who was half choked to death?"

Merle needed details. All that mattered was the evidence.

"Yep...and I left it so she'd know it happened when she came to, if you know what I mean," he laughed hysterically.

Merle was ready to get the hell out of there before it all fell apart and he committed murder.

"You win, man. I'd never have the balls to pull something like that off," Merle shook his head casually.

Having what he needed made him feel calmer then, he wasn't about to bloody his hands and risk screwing up his new plan.

"You may be better at pool, Merle, but dealing with broads is my thing. That bitch hasn't seen the last of me yet."

"What you gonna do next?" Merle asked, throwing back a shot of whiskey from the table to steady his nerves.

"I already had a guy go down to this bumfuck town and intimidate her a little, but I'm gonna go down myself now that I know where she lives and  take  my son back."

"Won't she call the cops on you?"

"She can't," he grinned. "Technically, she kidnapped him from me in the first place."

"Why not just have the authorities take him back?" Daryl inquired.

"This is more fun," Phillip smirked.  "And the cops here are all in my back pocket anyway."

Merle had enough in more ways than one and had to excuse himself to use the bathroom before they made their escape.

In the elaborate bathroom with thundering noise still coming from above, he checked the app to be sure he'd caught everything, and it was all there, crystal clear and damning as hell. Before the recording was ended though, he felt it was only right to clear up his involvement.

_**This is Merle Dixon, anything I said in this recording was a fabrication. I am not a misogynist, and I don't even have an ex-wife, I'm a widower. Everything I said on this recording was a ruse to get Phillip Blake to reveal the truth about the crimes he has committed and is still planning to commit against Andrea Harrison.** _

Merle's hands shook, and all he could think of was Simone and Andrea and Brady...he wanted this family, and he was ready to claim them.

When he left the bathroom, his phone was tucked safely in his inner coat pocket, and he told Daryl they had to get going.

"Here," Phillip said as they began heading up the stairs. "You guys are alright! Take my number and come party any weekend you want."

"You bet, man! We had a great time!" Merle smiled and shook his hand.  "No hard feelings about the bet, maybe you'll get me next time."

Daryl was baffled until they got into the car and all was explained.

"What the fuck was all that? I thought you were gonna kick his teeth in?" Daryl exclaimed.

Merle just smiled a little smile to himself as they pulled out of the long driveway.

"I'm going to download the file onto my computer, and then I can put it on a  flash drive, right?"

"Yeah? So?" Daryl pressed.

"So I'll send a copy to the mayor and tell him he better deal with Phillip or a copy of the flash drive will be sent to every news agency in the city. Let's see him get elected then."

"Damn."  
"I could kick his ass, but then it'll taint the investigation, and the audio could look coerced, you never know. I'll let the law handle him. They may be in his back pocket, but not if the mayor himself tells them to place him under arrest, " Merle added, looking over at his brother.

"I'm impressed. Find some 24-hour place where I can pick up some  flash drives, and I'll make the copies tonight."

"Good call. I need this done and finished with," Merle sighed. "I wanna be heading back to Simone by suppertime so let's get this shit done."

"You got it, brother."

/

Back at the hotel, Daryl began making copies of the audio on Merle's laptop and wrote a letter to the mayor's office. They didn't put their names on the envelope, although Merle had mentioned his name on the audio. If they were called to testify, then it would be made public who they were anyway. They both hoped that the mayor would play ball; with the evidence they had, it didn't look like he'd have a choice.

 

**DEAL WITH PHILLIP BLAKE IMMEDIATELY OR A COPY OF THIS AUDIO WILL BE SENT TO EVERY NEWS OUTLET IN THE CITY. YOU CAN BE THE MAN WHO TOOK  DOWN A RAPIST OR THE MAN WHO  WAS  HARBORING ONE.  IT'S UP TO YOU.  IF YOU DO YOUR PART AND MAKE SURE HE IS CHARGED, WE WILL CONTACT THE D.A. AND TESTIFY IF NEEDED.**

  


  


 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter is 'The Night We Met' by Strange Trails and it's such a beautiful song. I played it on repeat for most of the time I was writing this story. I can't write without good music and this song is sooooo good!!  
> I wanted to post two chapters today because I don't like sex cliffhangers but I went with my dad to get his first tattoo today (he's 66! :) and I'm exhausted from all the waiting. I'll post in the morning instead.  
> Thanks for reading! Always so appreciated.  
> Teagan xoxo

  


_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 19** _

  


Merle and Daryl returned to Brookhaven feeling unsure of what the future would hold. It would take a day or two for the letter to reach the mayor's desk, and Merle just prayed that soon he'd be able to get Andrea back.

"I can't thank you enough for coming with me," Merle said, smacking his brother's leg across the seat.

"I can tell how much she means to you and I want you to be happy again."

"Me too," he sighed. "I hope this is all it takes."

"Man, if she doesn't take you back now then she ain't worth it."

Merle figured she probably would but had a lingering fear in the back of his mind that she might be angry at him for intruding in her past or putting himself in danger against her wishes.

_**/** _

Merle walked through Daryl's front door when they finally arrived at his place and found Simone sitting at the kitchen table playing cards with Sophia.

"Honey," he smiled, and she looked at him with those eyes that he'd missed so much.

"Dad! How was your guy's weekend?" she chirped.

"It was OK, but I missed you like crazy, girl. You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, just lemme grab my stuff."

Daryl took Carol into the living room to explain everything that had happened, and Sophia filled Merle in on what they'd done that weekend as Simone collected her things.

"Sounds like you had a blast," he smiled.

"We stayed up late and slept in the tent in the backyard," she grinned.

"Just like your dad and me when we were kids," he noted.

"I can't hardly imagine you and my dad as kids," she laughed.

Merle reached into his back pocket to show her a picture of them as children from his wallet and Sophia found it amusing.

"I never seen this one. Was this taken at the creek?"

"We used to fish there all the time just to stay out of the house," he explained.

"You used to look more alike," she noted, handing him back the picture.

"Yep, we look nothing alike now, but we're closer than we ever were."

"I think me and Simone will always be best friends," she smiled.

"Best friends and cousins," he agreed. "You've been a blessing for her, Sophia...after what happened, you helped her through it all."

Sophia just smiled at him, and he felt grateful for the family that had kept him and Simone going.

"That's what family does," she said, and he nodded in agreement.

"It's still very special, though. Thank you."

_**/** _

Back at home, Merle knew it was best to wait until the problem was resolved to call Andrea, but he did leave her another text and a song.

  


**~ I miss you, Andrea, that won't stop. I'll be right here waiting if you change your mind, I'm still hoping you'll come around.**

**Love you always, Merle xo**

  


Andrea hit play on the iTunes link, even though she knew it would break her in two.

  


**I am not the only traveler  
Who has not repaid his debt  
I've been searching for a trail to follow again  
Take me back to the night we met  
  
And then I can tell myself  
What the hell I'm supposed to do  
And then I can tell myself  
Not to ride along with you  
  
I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you  
Take me back to the night we met  
I don't know what I'm supposed to do,**

**haunted by the ghost of you  
Oh, take me back to the night we met  
  
When the night was full of terror  
And your eyes were filled with tears  
When you had not touched me yet  
Oh, take me back to the night we met  
  
** **I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you**   
**Take me back to the night we met**   
**I don't know what I'm supposed to do,** **haunted by the ghost of you**

**Take me back to the night we met**

  


Andrea sat on the couch next to Brady and took off her headphones to cry softly.

"Just call him, Andrea," Amy huffed.

"I....I just need a minute," she insisted as she got up to leave the room.

"What's wrong with mama?" Brady asked with Scout sleeping on his lap.

"It's grown up stuff, buddy. She's going to be OK soon, I promise."

Brady looked unconvinced but continued to watch his cartoons.

"Is she sad cause Merle is gone?" he added, not looking away from the show.

"Yes, honey. They have some things to work out," Amy explained.

"Grown up love makes people sad," he answered, and she had a feeling he knew more about the difficulties of grown-up love than any four-year-old should. Amy prayed that he wouldn't always see grown up love as a thing that only brought sadness.

_**/** _

"Did you have a good weekend?" Simone asked as they curled up on the couch with a pizza. "You look exhausted."

"Lots of goofing off with Uncle Daryl, you know how it is," he smiled.

"The place is spotless," she commented, and he looked around at how perfect it was knowing he was busted.

He had tidied up before taking her to her aunt and uncle's house, and it looked just the same.

"I figured there'd at least be some beer cans in the garbage," she added, eyebrows raised.

"Why can't you ever just be a dumb kid?" he asked.

"Cause you raised me better than that. Spill it."

Merle told her all he could, in child-friendly terms, and she wasn't overly surprised by his tale.

"So when this bad guy gets arrested you're going to go and get her?" she asked.

"That's the plan...I'm hoping she'll take me back then."

"She better."

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Simone."

"It's OK, Dad. I know why you did."

/

When Tuesday morning came, Merle ran out for milk before work and picked up the Atlanta newspaper at the corner store. Merle hoped the letter had gotten to the mayor by then and apparently it had. It was already front page news.

**HONOURABLE MAYOR CROWDER UNCOVERS ALLEGED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN HIS OWN OFFICE**

The article went on to mention the arrest of Phillip Blake and charges being laid against him. The D.A. was building a case, and Merle knew he'd be coming forward to speak against him and that Andrea likely would be too, but first, he had to go and see her.

Merle folded the newspaper under his arm and went home to take Simone to school before heading over to Andrea's house.

"She's going to lose it!" Simone smiled. "You did the right thing, Dad."

"I hope so. No matter what happens, a bad man is off the streets and no longer a threat to women."

"You're my hero," she smiled and hugged him tight before exiting the truck.

"Love you, honey!"

"Love you mostest."

/

Merle called into work and told Amy to pass it along that he needed the morning off.

"No problem, Merle. I read the news this morning!" she squealed. "You really pulled off a miracle here...thank you."

"It was my pleasure. Did she see it?" he asked.

"Nope. She took Brady to playschool this morning, and she's probably laying on the couch moping as we speak."

"So she misses me?" he smiled.

"She's been sobbing on and off since it ended...go and get her."

"Thanks, Amy."

/

Merle pulled up outside Andrea's house in his beat up truck and took the paper with him up the path to her door. He did feel a little like a knight carrying the head of a beast, and he prayed to have her in his arms again shortly.

He knocked and waited with his heart in his hands.

When Andrea opened the door, she looked stunned and tired but still so beautiful. Her hair was a wavy mess, and her face looked drained, but her blue eyes killed him inside. She was in a sundress and barefoot, and he wanted to marry her right there.

"Merle? I..."

He held the paper out to her, and she took it from him with confusion in her eyes. She skimmed the article quickly, and it didn't take long to get the gist.

"But...how?"

"It's a really long story, but I think they'll be looking into your allegations a lot more seriously now...in fact, there's going to be a trial if I'm not mistaken."

"But..."

"He admitted everything on tape to a couple of strangers over a game of pool this weekend," Merle explained and watched as her eyes filled with tears.

"You and Daryl?"

"Yes. Then we sent the evidence to the mayor and said he better take care of it cause we have copies of the audio. Phillip is in your past now, honey...and I hope I can still be in your future."

Andrea dropped the paper on her doorstep and melted into his arms just the way he'd hoped.

"I'm so sorry, Merle...I'm sorry."

"Shhh....you did what you thought you had to, honey."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Andrea pulled him closer and closed the door behind them.

"I could hardly breathe without you," she sobbed, going straight for the buttons of his shirt. "I'll never let you go again as long as I live..."

 

  


 

  


 


	20. Chapter 20

 

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 20** _

  
Merle was overwhelmed by the way she looked at him, the way she was touching him, and everything in between. She was the woman he was meant to find after losing Leah, and he was ready to dive in with both feet now that she was free.

Maybe there would be a headache of a trial ahead of them, but they'd deal with it together. Either way, in the court of public opinion,  Phillip Blake was finished, and he'd never hurt her again. Merle would never let anyone forget what he'd admitted to, regardless of the outcome of the trial.

"I can't believe you did this for me, Merle. You're the most incredible person I've ever met," she praised, taking his face in her hands and kissing him hard.

"I had to do it," he said simply. "I had to make sure you'd be safe."

Andrea told him not to move a muscle as she walked to the kitchen and then returned with an ice cold beer.

"Huh?"

"I love you so much, Merle," she grinned, easing him back to the sofa. "Let me be good to you."

He sat down and watched with great satisfaction as she knelt down between his knees.

"You're the man of my dreams, Merle Dixon."

"And you're the woman of mine," he smiled.

She lay her hands on the couch cushions on either side of his hips and kissed his lips softly as she urged his knees apart.

Merle finally took a sip of the beer as she opened the buttons of his shirt and kissed her way down his chest till she reached his belt. He felt like a king. After seven years of celibacy he decided to revel in the way she wanted to please him, it felt good to be desired.

Andrea looked up at him with a blonde curl in her face and a look of gorgeous mischief. It was moments like this with Andrea that convinced Merle of all the light that was possible after the darkness of losing Leah.

"You're too beautiful," he sighed as she pulled at his belt and then eased his pants slowly down his legs.

"I can't believe I ever thought for one second that I could live without you...I'm gonna make you happy, Merle, for as long as I can."

"That's good, honey...I don't want us to ever be apart again."

"We won't be, I promise."

He could hardly contain himself as she moved her perfect face slow and sexy back and forth across the front of his boxers. Merle could feel her hot breath through the material, and he closed his eyes, taking in the heat of the moment.

By the time she was pulling down his boxers, he was so ready for her touch. He took another sip of the beer as she moved her tongue up his dick before taking him into her mouth, the entire thing was like a dream to him.

Merle hissed at the sight and let his head fall back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling as she made his every fantasy come true.  Over and over her hot wet mouth took him in and teased him out of his mind.  She got him so close, and he could feel it coming on like a stiff wind on a hot day.

"Wait, honey...come here," he pleaded and pulled her up to her feet where she slipped off her panties and climbed onto his lap.

Merle lifted her dress over her head and unfastened her bra, in an impressively swift movement and in a heartbeat he had his face pressed to her perfect breasts.

"Oh Christ!" he groaned as she sank herself down on him.

"Good?" she grinned.

"So damn good...I didn't know if this would ever happen again."

"I'm so sorry. It's always going to happen again, Merle, as long as you want me."

"I will always want you."

She rode him slow, and they looked into each other's eyes like seeing each other again for the first time.

Merle ran his big hands up and down her back and then rested them on her hips, pulling her down a little harder to take over every inch of her wetness.

When she started to shudder in his arms and moan a little louder, he took her right nipple into his mouth followed by her left, sucking softly and dragging her to the edge.

His hands grasped her ass and pulled her in tight as he fed upon her flesh, moving from one breast to the other with his hungry mouth.

"Oh God....oh....uh.....mmmm!"

Her head fell onto his shoulder, and she ground her hips unapologetically,  wanting to cherish every last sensation.

When she began to come back around, he lay her on the couch and fucked her good and hard.

"That's right, baby! Take me....I'm all yours."

Merle looked down at her face and her breasts rocking in time with every thrust, and he knew she was the only woman he'd ever want.

He climbed closer and closer to the top of the mountain only to leap from the precipice when he got there. He came hard, plunging hundreds of feet per second as he groaned his release into the air.

Merle collapsed on her, and she held him, enveloped in her arms and legs with his face pressed to her chest.

"Someday...when the time is right for you....could we live together?"

He hadn't been planning to ask, but he wanted to have her with him all the time and didn't see the point in waiting anymore. He did think, though, that he should have asked Simone about it first.

"I definitely would, but-"

"Too fast?"

"Not for me...I'm just thinking of Simone. We need her full blessing, and if that will take time, I'll wait."

Merle loved that she was instantly on the same page and that she knew how much Simone meant to him. It was just one more sign that she was the one.

"What about Brady?"

"He likes you a lot, and I think he'd be OK with it. He's an easy going kid, considering everything that's happened."

Merle smiled and continued to hold her; everything was right again. He knew he had to run everything by Simone and that it wouldn't be happening tomorrow or anything, but it was nice to know that's where he and Andrea both wanted to end up.

They gradually got dressed, and she curled up next to him on the couch.

"I could never thank you enough for what you did...nobody ever did anything like that for me," she said softly.

"I want him to pay for what he did to you, and I don't want it happening to any other women."

"You're a good man, Merle. I'm so lucky you're mine."

"I gotta look out for women cause I'm raising one and I'm madly in love with another," he laughed modestly.

/

Merle had to go back to work after Andrea fed him some lunch and she went to pick up Brady from playschool. The sky looked bluer, and he felt light on his feet for the rest of the afternoon. The whole world was a better place just because he had Andrea back.

Merle didn't want to waste any time getting the ball rolling in Atlanta, so he looked up the name of the D.A.  and gave her a call on his coffee break. When the lawyer answered he hardly even knew how to put it.

"Tannis  Kramer here, may I help you?"

"Hey there...I'm the guy who recorded Phillip Blake."

"I wasn't sure if we'd hear from you," she said, sounding stunned.

"I'm Merle Dixon. I want him prosecuted for what he did, so if you want me to testify, then I will."

"We'll do our best to bring about that result.  I have to say; you're lucky it's legal to record conversations without consent in this state. In other states this could have been thrown out," she informed him.

"Thank God it won't be."

"I'm still going through everything here, but I want to know something about your involvement in this situation."

"Anything."

"What is your relationship with the woman Phillip Blake was married to?"

"She's my new girlfriend. Does that change anything?"

"No, I just wanted to know why you'd do this."

"I did this for her. When she tried to proceed with this when it happened she was ignored by the police and accused of trying to extort money...she needed someone to stop him.  Phillip  was having her followed here in Brookhaven, and her home was vandalized."

"So there's more to this than I know. Could you come down to my office and give a full deposition? I'm not sure if I'll need you  to  testify yet."

"I'll do whatever I have to. Is Friday OK? I need to make arrangements for my daughter."

"That's fine. How about 1 pm? If Andrea could come along too, I'd love to speak with her as well obviously."

"I'll ask her; I'm pretty sure she'll come. Is there a chance he'll actually go down for this?" he asked, just wanting to know what the odds were.

"There's a very good chance, the recording is very damning, and it's obviously not coerced. Tell me, though, did Andre ago to the hospital after the assault?"

"Yes. The police told her there wasn't sufficient evidence and never followed up on it, Phillip has ties to the police through the mayor's office."

"The thing is, if she was strangled then there should be pictures of her neck as well as evidence of defensive wounds and a rape kit."

"Can you find that stuff?" he asked.

"I can have it retrieved from the hospital. If everything checks out, then I'd say this case looks solid, Mr. Dixon."

"Thank God."

"You did a very brave and reckless thing here, Mr. Dixon."

"I had to."

"I'll do everything I can with the evidence; it looks like we're dealing with potential police corruption as well. This case could be huge."

Merle was excited to see it going somewhere so quickly, and he knew that Andrea would be safe from then on.

At the end of his workday, he called Andrea to fill her in on everything he'd spoken to Mrs. Kramer about and she was excited to finally have people in power wanting to hear her side of the story. The idea that Phillip would actually pay for what he did was overwhelming for her. The fact that she and Brady would be safe and could move on with their lives was such a gift that she couldn't help tearing up again; Merle had given her back her life.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only one more chapter to this, that I'm posting today as well. I'd rather keep stories to the point and once the main plot point is resolved I just prefer to end them:) I'll never be someone who writes 80 chapter fics. lol  
> The main plot point in this was Merle finding someone to share his life with and to get completely over Leah. Also, it was for him to realize that he is and always was exactly what Simone needs and to feel proud of the job he has done parenting her alone.  
> I feel like (along with the next chapter) I accomplished this so I hope nobody feels like it's abrupt or that it leaves anything unresolved but I wrote the story I set out to tell.  
> Thanks SO much to everyone who read this story. Merle fics will always be less popular and I know that I write him softer than the Merle Dixon we saw on the show. I always think of the Merle I write as the man who he was becoming when he died, not season 1 Merle.


	21. Chapter 21

_ **A Family of Two - Chapter 21** _

  
By the time Merle left work to go pick up Simone, he was content again with life and felt completely at peace. After the drama of dealing with Phillip, Merle just wanted things to go back to normal.

He pulled up in the same spot he always did to wait for Simone and spotted her sitting under a tree next to Carmine. He considered honking to hurry her up, but there was something funny about the scene, so he just watched with interest.

As if in a dream, the boy reached out and touched his daughter's hair and she nudged him away playfully. Merle wondered for a second what it meant, but then slowly she moved closer.

Right there on the front lawn of the school, Merle watched as Simone made the first move and kissed Carmine Russo like it was nothing and then immediately got up and waved goodbye to him. It sent Merle right back to the first time Leah kissed him, and it made him smile. Leah had to make the first move with him cause he was shit scared and until that first kiss he still couldn't tell if she liked him.

Merle found that he could finally think of Leah and it didn't hurt the way it used to. Now that he'd given his heart to someone else, he could think of the good moments with Leah and see them as they were, good memories and not ghosts of what he'd lost. Making love to Andrea didn't feel like cheating, and he knew that he had moved on completely, something he never thought would happen.

Carmine was left stunned and sitting on the grass and Merle couldn't help chuckling. Simone ran to the truck and hopped in next to him without really looking him in the eye, and he grinned at her like the cat was well out of the bag.

"You didn't see that, did you?" she asked sheepishly.

"Afraid so."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Hell no!" he laughed. "How was it?"

"Amazing!"

"I'll take you out for supper, and you can tell me all about it," he chuckled. "I got my own good news in the love department."

"You got Andrea back?" she exclaimed.

"You bet I did! I was a little worried there, but apparently she can't live without me," he joked.

"You're the man, Dad!"

Merle laughed at that and pulled a U-turn to take his best girl for supper.

/

"I'm really happy for you, Dad. I know how much she means to you," Simone began after they ordered their usuals.

"She is very special to me, but you're always number one...you know that, right?"

"Of course, but I see how lonely you've been for another adult in your life. You needed a girlfriend; I understand that."

"You're so grown up, honey. Your mother would be so proud of the girl you are," he smiled.

"What was she like...just as a person?" she asked.

"She was incredible. I was never really great with girls like your Uncle Daryl, and she never made me feel dumb for stumbling over my words. I remember that she always complimented me and made me feel good about myself. Your mother kissed me first and asked me out on our first date cause she knew I was too chicken-shit. Leah was amazing, and all the best things about her are still in you. "

Simone just smiled, and he could see that she was going to be OK. He could still remember driving her home from the funeral and feeling so scared that he'd never be able to do it alone and that he'd fail her, but he had done it. He still had all the teen years left, but he had a feeling that Andrea would be able to help him out with that. Maybe he could be a father figure for Brady too, someone had to teach the boy to fish.

"So it's OK that I kissed Carmine first then?" Simone asked with a giggle.

"I think maybe it runs in your blood. You're not afraid to live, Simone, neither was she."

"I like that you can talk about her now without being sad," Simone noted.

"I took me a really long time, cause I loved your mother like crazy...but now I have someone new to love."

"Are you two getting married?" she teased.

"Hopefully, someday. I don't think there's any rush. I'm just excited to have a girlfriend still," he smiled.

They ate till it felt like they'd burst and he asked her on the way home if she'd go running with him again the next day. Merle still wanted to take better care of himself and look good for Andrea, he had a whole new life ahead of him.

"Sure, Dad."

/

After watching yet another cheesy Ernest movie flopped on the couch together, Merle crawled off to bed to call Andrea.

He loved listening to her voice just before turning in, and he looked forward to the day she'd be in his arms as he drifted off every night. There were so many new things to hope for, and he believed that they'd happen with her.

Andrea sounded tired but happy to hear from him when she picked up.

"Hey, you."

"How was your day, honey?"

"Really good...except for puppy training," she laughed. "Maybe Simone will babysit this weekend, and I can cook supper for you over at my house."

"Sounds good to me. You know I love your cookin', honey."

"So it sounds promising with the court case, huh?"

"Mrs. Kramer sounded really positive about it. No matter what happens, Andrea, I'll never let him hurt you again."

"You've given me back my freedom, Merle; I can't tell you what that means to me."

"You never should have lost it due to that prick in the first place, honey. You and Brady can do anything you want with your lives now."

"When the time is right...I'd really love for my little family of two to join your little family of two," she answered, and he could see her smiling face in his mind as she said it.

"That's just what I was thinking," he sighed, wishing she was in his arms right then. "A family of four sounds pretty sweet to me."

_**~ The End ~** _

  
  


  
  


  
  


 

  
  


 


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